Signs and Symptoms

The main symptom of complex regional pain syndrome is intense pain, often described as "burning." Additional signs and symptoms include:

• Skin sensitivity.
• Changes in skin temperature, color and texture. At times your skin may be sweaty; at other times it may be cold. Skin color can range from white and mottled to red or blue. Skin may become tender, thin or shiny in the affected area.
• Changes in hair and nail growth.
• Joint stiffness, swelling and damage.
• Muscle spasms, weakness and loss (atrophy).
• Decreased ability to move the affected body part.

Complex regional pain syndrome typically has three stages, though not everyone progresses through these phases at the same pace:

• Stage 1. Severe pain develops in one of your limbs. Swelling, sensitivity to touch or to cold, and skin changes, such as drying or thinning, begin to appear. This stage usually lasts one to three months.
• Stage 2. Changes to the color and texture of your skin become increasingly obvious, and the swelling spreads. You may begin to feel stiffness in your muscles and joints. This stage may last three to six months.
• Stage 3. Severe damage is evident, such as limited movement in your affected limb, irreversible skin damage, muscle atrophy and contractures in nearby digits.

2007-04-02

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