CRPS IS WHAT I HAVE, NOT WHO I AM

What is CRPS?

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic (lasting greater than six months) pain condition that most often affects one limb (arm, leg, hand, or foot) usually after an injury.  CRPS is believed to be caused by damage to, or malfunction of, the peripheral and central nervous systems.  The central nervous system is composed of the brain and spinal cord; the peripheral nervous system involves nerve signaling from the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body.  CRPS is characterized by prolonged or excessive pain and changes in skin color, temperature, and/or swelling in the affected area.

CRPS is divided into two types:  CRPS-I and CRPS-II. Individuals without a confirmed nerve injury are classified as having CRPS-I (previously known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome).  CRPS-II (previously known as causalgia) is when there is an associated, confirmed nerve injury.  As some research has identified evidence of nerve injury in CRPS-I, it is unclear if this disorders will always be divided into two types.  Nonetheless, the treatment is similar.

CRPS symptoms vary in severity and duration, although some cases are mild and eventually go away.  In more severe cases, individuals may not recover and may have long-term disability.

Why we want to spread awareness.

There are two reasons we want to spread awareness about CRPS.

First, it is not a well known disorder and we feel that more people should know about it and how it can affect someone they may care about.

Second, we have a personal attachment to this disorder because one of our owners has been diagnosed with CRPS and we had no idea what it was until we did more research about it.

Dawn was diagnosed with CRPS in 2014 from her knees down.  Dawn went from working three jobs while taking care of her daughter, to being in a wheelchair and not being able to wear anything longer than shorts without causing more pain because of her hypersensitivity. Now she is out of her wheelchair because of a Spinal Cord Stimulator (SCS) and medications. After getting out of the wheelchair she refuses to ever be put back in it again. Less than one year after getting out of the wheelchair she pushed herself to get back in the gym and train for a five mile 30 obstacle mud run to prove that if you put your mind to something, you can do anything.

With any disorder there will always be good days and bad days. The difference is how far will you run with the good, and how hard you will push through the bad!