• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.598-607
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• 2022

Purpose: This qualitative study aimed to explore the lived and true meaning of experiences of middle-aged patients with complex regional pain syndrome. Methods: The participants were 10 men and women aged 40 to 60 years who received outpatient treatment at a university hospital, could communicate, and agreed to participate in the study. Data were collected through individual interviews using open and semi-structured questions from September 2019 to July 2021 and were analyzed using the content analysis method suggested by Hsieh and Shannon (2005). Results: As a result of this study, 42 summarized semantic units related to life experience, 15 subthemes, and seven themes were derived. The seven themes were "pressed by severe pain," "frustrated because I cannot be part of the community," "distressed because people do not recognize my disease," "sad about conflicts with family," "unmotivated because of desperate life," "appreciating for support," and "putting oneself together and living daily life." Conclusion: The vivid experiences of the participants derived in this study are the basic data for developing treatment guidelines. In the future, we propose a study on life and family care experiences according to the developmental characteristics of the life cycle of patients with complex regional pain syndrome and develop and apply programs to support patients and their families.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.401-405
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• 2013

Complex regional pain syndrome secondary to brachial plexus injury is often severe, debilitating and difficult to manage. Percuteneous radiofrequency sympathectomy is a relatively new technique, which has shown promising results in various chronic pain disorders. We present four consecutive patients with complex regional pain syndrome secondary to brachial plexus injury for more than 6 months duration, who had undergone percutaneous T2 and T3 radiofrequency sympathectomy after a diagnostic block. All four patients experienced minimal pain relief with conservative treatment and stellate ganglion blockade. An acceptable 6 month pain relief was achieved in all 4 patients where pain score remained less than 50% than that of initial score and all oral analgesics were able to be tapered down. There were no complications attributed to this procedure were reported. From this case series, percutaneous T2 and T3 radiofrequency sympathectomy might play a significant role in multi-modal approach of CRPS management.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.98-101
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• 2004

Complex regional pain syndrome is pain disorder which is characterized by aching pain, marked painful sensation, hypothermesthesia, vasomotor dysfunction, hyperhidrosis, impairment of motor function, trophic changes of distal part of not-operated extremity after trauma and operation. Pain produce increased sensitivity to catecholamine and diagnosed by infra red thermography and Treatment consists of pain relief and rehabilitational therapy for functional restoration of affected limb. We experienced a case of complex regional pain syndrome in a 16-year-old man after wedge resection of pulmonary apex for bullae and report this case with a review of the literature.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.286-294
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• 2010

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome(CRPS) is a chronic neruopathic pain syndrome, most frequently encountered after trauma, nerve injury, fracture, cerebral vascular accident(CVA), spinal injury, and surgery to a limb, and affected by diverse factors such as disease process, intervention method, and other biopsychosocial components. Occupational therapy as a multidisciplinary treatment approach may be potentially useful when simultaneously targeting such biological, psychological, and social components. Biological treatment can focus on increasing functional use of extremity for promoting independence. Psychological intervention can include relaxation/biofeedback training and cognitive-behavioral treatments, and social approach can focus on recreational therapy and vocational rehabilitation. Occupational therapy will encourage functional restoration, pain management, and regaining of psychological components with collaboration between different disciplines.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.143-150
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• 2012

Spinal cord stimulation has become a widely used and efficient alternative for the management of refractory chronic pain that is unresponsive to conservative therapies. Technological improvements have been considerable and the current neuromodulation devices are both extremely sophisticated and reliable in obtaining good results for various clinical situations of chronic pain, such as failed back surgery syndrome, complex regional pain syndrome, ischemic and coronary artery disease. This technique is likely to possess a savings in costs compared with alternative therapy strategies despite its high initial cost. Spinal cord stimulation continues to be a valuable tool in the treatment of chronic disabling pain.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.68-71
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• 2014

The occurrence of CRPS after a snake bite was very rare, only two cases were reported worldwide. Here we report a case that the 44-year-old female patient bitten by snakes CRPS type 1 was treated consecutive intravenous regional block, lumbar sympathectomy and antiepileptic drug therapy, also discuss the possible pathophysiology.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.273-276
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• 2009

A 54-year-old man experienced injury to the second finger of his left hand due to damage from a paintball gun shot 8 years prior, and the metacarpo-phalangeal joint was amputated. He gradually developed mechanical allodynia and burning pain, and there were trophic changes of the thenar muscle and he reported coldness on his left hand and forearm. A neuroma was found on the left second common digital nerve and was removed, but his symptoms continued despite various conservative treatments including a morphine infusion pump on his left arm. We therefore attempted median nerve stimulation to treat the chronic pain. The procedure was performed in two stages. The first procedure involved exposure of the median nerve on the mid-humerus level and placing of the electrode. The trial stimulation lasted for 7 days and the patient's symptoms improved. The second procedure involved implantation of a pulse generator on the left subclavian area. The mechanical allodynia and pain relief score, based on the visual analogue scale, decreased from 9 before surgery to 4 after surgery. The patient's activity improved markedly, but trophic changes and vasomotor symptom recovered only moderately. In conclusion, median nerve stimulation can improve chronic pain from complex regional pain syndrome type II.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.190-194
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• 2007

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), which is a syndrome that is defined by pain and sudomotor and/or vasomotor instability, is usually resistant to conventional treatment. Here, a case involving a 30-year-old male patient with CRPS type I who showed severe intractable right shoulder pain with allodynia and hyperalgesia despite being treated with oral medications, nerve blocks including thoracic sympathetic neurolysis, and spinal cord stimulation is described. The patient frequently visited the emergency room due to severe uncontrollable breakthrough pain. Although a favorable effect was observed in response to intermittent ketamine infusion therapies that were performed on an outpatient basis, acute exacerbation of pain occurred frequently during the night and could not be controlled. Therefore, subcutaneous ketamine infusion therapy using a patient-controlled analgesic system was attempted and found to effectively control acute exacerbation of pain during 6 weeks of infusion without serious complications.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.895-903
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• 2018

Objectives: This study reports on the efficacy of using integrative Korean medical treatments for Type 1 complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). Methods: A 48-year-old female patient with Type 1 R/O CRPS was treated with herbal medicines, acupuncture, and pharmacopuncture for 38 days. The chief complaints were severe burning pain, general weakness, sleep disorder, and aggressive and depressed mood. The treatment effect was evaluated by measuring the numerical rating scale (NRS) of pain, improvement of the quality of sleep, and change in mood status. Results: After the hospital treatment, the patient's pain was controlled and the NRS score was decreased. Sleep and mood disorder also improved. Conclusions: The integrative Korean medical treatments appeared to be effective in reducing Type 1 CRPS symptoms. Further clinical research of patients with CRPS is needed.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.1-3
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• 2015