Terminology, criteria, and definitions in complex regional pain syndrome: challenges and solutions

Abstract

Katherine Dutton,1 Geoffrey Littlejohn21Department of Rheumatology, Townsville Hospital, Douglas, QLD, Australia; 2Department of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, AustraliaAbstract: Complex regional pain syndrome has long been recognized as a severe and high impact chronic pain disorder. However, the condition has historically been difficult to define and classify and little attention has been given to where complex regional pain syndrome sits within other apparently similar chronic pain disorders, such as fibromyalgia and regional pain syndrome. In this review challenges in regard to nomenclature, definitions, and classification of complex regional pain syndrome are reviewed and suggestions are provided about future directions.Keywords: complex regional pain syndromes, fibromyalgia, causalgia, classification

Keywords

• Complex regional pain syndromes
• fibromyalgia
• causalgia
• classification