Other publications by CRPS Network members 2009-2012
Many of our Network members are experienced researchers in the field of CRPS and chronic pain. Not all of their publications are directly related to Registry studies, but are still very relevant to our work. A key selection are listed below.
Abstracts (overviews) of all research papers can be accessed using the following links, but please note that some will require an active subscription to the relevant journal in order to access the full publication.
Transitioning from a hospital rehabilitation programme to home: exploring the experiences of people with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome - published in Psychology and Health 2012. This study explored the lived experience of 10 patients who had returned home after completing a two-week in-patient treatment programme. The interviews focused on how they coped with the transition from hospital to home, and on the things that they considered had facilitated or hindered this transition. A key outcome is the recognition of the need to better prepare patients for their transition back home.
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An exploration of the support person's perceptions and experiences of complex regional pain syndrome and the rehabilitation process - published in Musculoskeletal Care 2011. This focused on people who support a relative or friend with CRPS through a semi-structured interview process. The themes presented describe the efforts of carers to make sense of CRPS and the rehabilitation process, to be sensitive to the discomfort of the person with CRPS and to respond in a helpful way. CRPS had become integrated into the carers' lives as they sought to monitor, protect and motivate the person they supported.
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Pain and other symptoms of CRPS can be increased by ambiguous visual stimuli: an exploratory study - published in the European Journal of Pain 2011. This study investigated reports by some CRPS patients that visual disturbances can increase their pain. The experimental method provided new findings as a clinical and research tool, which may be particularly useful for brain imaging studies.
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Now you see it, now you do not. Sensory re-education in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome - published in Hand Therapy 2011. Common sensory problems seen in CRPS are reviewed, the mechanisms that may be behind these clinical symptoms, and how sensory, motor and autonomic systems interact. Therapies designed to enhance sensory discrimination and motor planning were discussed, supported by the results of a small case series undergoing sensory re-education for CRPS.
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Mirror visual feedback: a practical approach - published in the Journal of Hand Therapy 2011. Mirror visual feedback was first proposed as a therapy to relieve amputee phantom limb pain in the early 1990s. It is increasingly used to treat a range of other chronic pain conditions, including CRPS, but the previous evidence base was limited. This article provides the theoretical background to the therapy and a detailed description of applying it in clinical practice.
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Wherever is my arm? Impaired upper limb position accuracy in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome - published in Pain 2010. People with CRPS express difficulty in knowing where their affected limb is positioned. The aim of this study was to determine the degree to which experimental data supported the reported difficulty in limb position sense. A controlled experimental design was used to measure upper limb position accuracy amongst those with CRPS of one arm. The CRPS group had moderate pain intensity and were significantly less accurate in positioning both the affected and unaffected limbs compared to controls.
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Insights into Pain: A Review of Qualitative Research - published Reviews in Pain 2010. This paper presented a summary of qualitative work on pain that had been published over the previous 10 years, where research focused on both on the experience and process of managing pain. It demonstrated that people who live with pain also live with confusion and worry as they try to make sense of what they feel is an uncertain future.
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Seeking support: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of an internet message board for people with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome - published in Psychology and Health 2009. This article reported on the findings of a qualitative inquiry into how an online message board for people with CRPS was used. Members used the message board to seek (and provide) support to those with CRPS, and also to express their emotions, feelings and experiences linked to their condition. The message board provided an important source of support for a patient group that can otherwise become isolated as a result of their mobility problems. Analysis also revealed the unrealistic hopes that patients can hold concerning the anticipated outcomes of their treatment.