I am not subject field expert in pain, but I am professional researcher, and if I am trying to learn more information about a topic my first stop is Pubmed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

You can setup the search to send you results every week so that you can stay up to date, from their you should look that the first and last authors of those papers and then make a separate search just for them. This will help you know who the active researchers in the field are. Hope this helps!

Perhaps, not certain. If it's purely genetic, probably not yet. If it's instead a complex form of conditioned chronic pain (which is possible) then it's possible that strategies which disrupt conditioned stimuli could be helpful.

It is likely that by the time the patient has tried and failed to get relief from a great array of treatments, that significant comorbidity and lifestyle issues would be playing into sensitisation and may even now trigger it.

Hi Baaike Van der Plas -

There are a number of different approaches to the treatment and management of CRPS type I, and luckily, it is getting far more recognition and attention with the field of pain management. Typically, a multidimensional and interdisciplinary approach to pain management is the gold standard approach. Since pain as a sensation is psychosomatic (in that pain without reception and perception in the cortex and limbic system does not produce a behavioral response), it is important to consider it as a multifaceted condition. A literature search should return a number of references, though here are some you may find beneficial:

• Perez, R.S., Zollinger, P.E., Dijkstra, P.U. et al. Evidence based guidelines for complex regional pain syndrome type 1. BMC Neurol 10, 20 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2377-10-20
• Méndez-Rebolledo, G., Gatica-Rojas, V., Torres-Cueco, R., Albornoz-Verdugo, M., & Guzmán-Muñoz, E. (2017). Update on the effects of graded motor imagery and mirror therapy on complex regional pain syndrome type 1: a systematic review. Journal of back and musculoskeletal rehabilitation, 30(3), 441-449.
• van de Meent, H., Oerlemans, M., Bruggeman, A., Klomp, F., van Dongen, R., Oostendorp, R., & Frölke, J. P. (2011). Safety of “pain exposure” physical therapy in patients with complex regional pain syndrome type 1. Pain, 152(6), 1431-1438.

The second article speaks to graded motor imagery and mirror therapy, two approaches commonly used within occupational therapy. The third, while framed from a PT lens, is applicable to the OT scope as long as it is approached from an occupation-based perspective. With CRPS, there are often global deficits in occupational engagement, and as we know, a return to function can support greater pain self-efficacy.

We also know that decentralizing the focus of pain is an important aspect of treatment. When pain is a constant (as it is with CRPS), our brains are trained to remember pain, and our associated behaviors to help manage the pain. As such, chronic pain patients tend to revert to patterns of "scanning their bodies" for pain. However, in practice, a different tactic is often more helpful. I often ask my patients, "do you check your closet every day to see if your shirt is still in it?" No, we can assume that it will be there as no such large-scale event has occurred that would make you think otherwise. This is the same as pain. It will remain every day, so why check for it each day? Shifting the mindset away from a pain focused one can be a great support to decreasing pain behaviors and increasing functional engagement.

Hope this helps.