Active clinical trials for "Complex Regional Pain Syndromes"

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a severe and complex chronic pain condition in children. Many psychosocial factors impact its development and recovery. CRPS has a strong central component, which is reflected by structural and functional changes in the brain. However, the interaction between these cerebral changes and trajectory of recovery has been seldom investigated to date. Furthermore, interactions between cerebral changes and psychosocial factors, which might affect trajectory of recovery, are unknown. The aim of this study is to identify the psychosocial factors and cerebral changes that predict the trajectory of recovery from CRPS. Children between the ages of 10 and 17 years will be enrolled with one of their parents or legal guardians for this study. Three populations will be recruited: patients with CRPS undergoing treatment at the Functional Independence Restoration Program (FIRST), patients with CRPS undergoing treatment at the Pain Management Center and matching healthy controls. Participants will undergo three sessions: the first session will be scheduled immediately before or as soon as possible at the beginning of the patients' treatment; the second session will take place at the end of the patients' treatment; the last session will be scheduled six months post-treatment. The timing of the sessions of the healthy participants will follow a schedule similar to the FIRST patients. Each session will last approximately three hours and include acquisition of psychosocial, psychophysical, and brain imaging data in the child participants, as well as acquisition of psychosocial data in the parent participants.

The purpose of this study is to test a specific nerve stimulation protocol as therapeutic option in patients diagnosed with CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome) of the upper extremity.

Complex regional pain syndrome, CRPS, is an uncommon but often very disabling chronic pain syndrome characterized by, beside pain: sensory disturbances, peripheral autonomic changes and inflammatory features. The diagnosis is subdivided in CRPS type 1 where no nerve injury has been identified, and CRPS type 2 when a major nerve injury has been verified. A combination of exposure in vivo, a form of behaviour therapy where the patient is gradually confronted with avoided movements and activities, and interventions directly targeting a hypothesized cortical reorganisation is an interesting novel approach for treating CRPS. The present study consists of (1) a qualitative interview study with 10-15 subjects that has received this form of treatment, in order to better understand their experience and effects of the treatment, and (2) a case series with long-term follow-up of 3-5 subjects that received the treatment för 5-8 years ago, in order to study the long term effects of the treatment.

The complex regional pain syndrom is a weighty disease that often results in a lifelong disability. Mostly this disease appears unilateral after comparatively mundane fractures or operations. In early stages CRPS shows inflammatory processes. These inflammatory components can be seen as edema and vasodilatation. These inflammatory processes lead us to the hypothesis that selective COX-2-inhibitors might help patients with CRPS.