Current sports medicine reports
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Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) I, formerly known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), is a painful neuropathic condition that most commonly affects a traumatized extremity. It is characterized by pain that is out of proportion to the original injury, has a distal predominance, and is not attributable to a specific peripheral nerve injury. ⋯ Treatments range from noninvasive medications and therapies to sympathetic ganglion blockade and sympathectomy. The sports medicine physician is in an ideal position to recognize CRPS I in its earliest stages postinjury, and is advised to make prompt referral to a pain specialist when suspected.