• Catelijne M van Bussel, Dirk L Stronks, and Huygen Frank J P M FJPM Center for Pain Medicine, Erasmus MC-University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands..
• Center for Pain Medicine, Erasmus MC-University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
• Pain Med. 2019 Jun 1; 20 (6): 1178-1184.

ObjectiveAlthough complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) of the knee is comparable to CRPS of the ankle/foot at time of diagnosis, no reports are available concerning the course of knee CRPS. Therefore, this study investigated the clinical course in terms of the symptoms and signs, health-related quality of life (HR-QoL), and work status of patients diagnosed with CRPS of the knee.DesignObservational, descriptive study.SettingSingle-center study.SubjectsPatients with CRPS of the knee.MethodsPatients self-reported their past and current CRPS symptoms, HR-QoL, and work status; all underwent a physical examination. A comparison was made of changes in symptoms over time between patients with CRPS of the knee and those with CRPS of more distal locations.ResultsIn total, 32 patients were enrolled. The follow-up time was 11.5 ± 6.29 years since diagnosis, and symptoms and signs showed a significant decrease over time. Twelve patients (37.5%) rated their health as (generally) positive. Patients who were still able to work (31.3%) stated that their physical health gave them at least some problems in the performance of their job. A change in symptoms occurred significantly less often in CRPS of the knee.ConclusionsCRPS of the knee changes in terms of symptoms over time, but significantly less than CRPS of other locations. A change in work status was reported in 82% of the patients due to their CRPS, and in 91%, the pain interfered with their daily life. CRPS of the knee is a painful condition with persistent symptoms causing a diminished HR-QoL.© 2019 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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