Airing Pain 23: Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Understanding complex regional pain syndrome, and treating phantom limbs with mirrors

This programme was funded by a grant from Astellas Pharma.

Paul Evans talks to Sunny Boshoff about her experience of complex regional pain syndrome and learns more about the causes of the condition from Dr Bill Macrae. We also hear from him and Dr Joan Hester about their work counselling and treating patients requiring limb amputations, including the use of the Visual Feedback Mirror to help those who have phantom sensations in their amputated limb.

Issues covered in this programme include: CRPS, complex regional pain syndrome, phantom limb pain, amputation, mirror therapy, nerve injury, hot and cold pain, exercise, post-surgical pain, neuropathic pain, Gabapentinoids, antiepileptic drugs, brain signals, prosthesis technology, psychological process and visual feedback.

Contributors:

• Sunny Boshoff, patient
• Dr Bill Macrae, retired (formerly Ninewells Hospital, Dundee)
• Dr Joan Hester, Consultant in Pain Medicine, King’s College Hospital, London.