Pain is a highly personal and private experience for someone to go through. No one else on the outside can know what a person in pain is truly feeling. Therefore, we cannot claim to understand your pain. But if you are suffering from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) after an injury and looking for legal assistance, that’s something we know like no other.
As an experienced team of CRPS lawyers in Pennsylvania, we have worked closely with thousands of CRPS victims and know firsthand that each case is different. The legal strategy we devise for you is tailored to answer your needs and responds to the specifics of your case alone.
Our priority is to ensure you get the best medical care and access to therapeutic tools, so you can stop all that pain and prepare to reclaim your life.
What is CRPS/RSD?
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) or Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSD, now known as Type I CRPS) is a chronic pain condition. It is rare, not fully understood, and often life-altering. It typically affects a single limb – arm, leg, hand, or foot – but often spreads from one limb to another without any new injury.
How CRPS Develops
While experts are not exactly sure why some people develop CRPS after an injury, the consensus seems to be on nerve damage. Trauma to the central and peripheral nervous system causes nerve damage, triggering them to send intense pain impulses to the brain.
Symptoms
The amount of pain experienced is often disproportionate to the original injury. Victims often describe it as sensations of shooting pains, pins and needles, and burning. In fact, the original name of CRPS, Causalgia, is Latin for burning pain.
Cures and Treatments
At the moment, there is no cure for CRPS. But treatment options are available. The sooner you get the diagnosis, the more effective your treatment can be. Delays only worsen it, which, in the case of CRPS, can often be a lifetime of disability.
What Causes CRPS?
While nobody knows the exact causes, experts agree that nerve damage might be the primary cause of continuous pain that gets worse with time. As the research continues, scientists and health experts have also been considering the role of inflammation and the immune system.
Other Injuries
Generally, traumatic injuries such as car accidents, workplace injuries, and strokes, etc. cause nerve damage resulting in CRPS. However, it’s not always the case. Any slight puncture to the wrong area in the nerve during a routine injection can also cause CRPS. Extended periods of immobility, such as casts after a fracture, are also known to result in CRPS in some patients.
Common Accidents
A list of common accidents that may cause CRPS:
- Workplace Injuries
- Automotive Vehicle Accidents
- Sports Accidents
- Slips and Falls
- Medical Malpractice
- Construction Accidents
- Pedestrian Accident
- Bicycle Accidents
- Defective Products
- And More.
Types of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
There are two types of CRPS:
Type I – RSD
Most CRPS cases belong to the Type I category, where the diagnosis is not always straightforward. No specific diagnostic tools are available, and the process of elimination helps arrive at the most likely cause. In this type, there is no underlying nerve injury that can be identified as the cause.
Type I CRPS is also called RSD – reflex sympathetic dystrophy – which is also the older name for the condition as a whole. Many people and organizations still use the name RSD, which usually refers to this condition with no obvious cause.
Type II – Causalgia
Type II CRPS is often called causalgia, and it stems from a detectable cause: nerve damage. This also tends to come from another accident or injury, but the cause is much less mysterious and much easier to detect and prove than Type I CRPS/RSD.
Understanding Your Type
To ensure your diagnosis is fair and informed, your Pennsylvania CRPS injury lawyer at Cardamone Law will help employ the services of the most skilled health professionals. Using a series of tests and other tools, these experts will determine the best course of medical action and compensation for you.
What is RSD vs. CRPS?
RSD is the old name of CRPS in general. However, in studying CRPS more and presenting more information to the public about it, medical experts have begun calling the disorder CRPS and presenting it as two types rather than using the term RSD.
RSD is Type I CRPS
RSD became a somewhat inaccurate name for all CRPS, given that RSD only refers to Type I CRPS. Type II CRPS needed a different name, so RSD went out of favor as the term to refer to the disorder as a whole.
Confusing Names
RSD is actually the name of a different disorder altogether: rejection sensitive dysphoria. This is a completely unrelated condition and is actually part of an ADHD diagnosis. It refers to serious emotional distress from feelings of rejection.
Because we have another term readily available – CRPS – “RSD” fell out of favor to avoid confusing these two, very different conditions.
RSD vs. RSDS
RSD stands for reflex sympathetic dystrophy, but it is also sometimes called RSDS: reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome.
Current Terminology
As of the writing of this article, CRPS is the more common name used in medical studies, diagnoses, and medical discussions about CRPS. If you still call it RSD, there’s nothing wrong with that, as long as you are referring to Type I CRPS.
Usually, when describing the condition to a jury, medical experts will use both names, just in case they have some outside familiarity with one over the other.
Symptoms of CRPS
CRPS has three stages, each marked by its distinct symptoms and challenges. Healthcare experts agree that early diagnosis leads to timely treatment, which improves the chances of recovery.
Stage 1 CRPS
It’s called the acute stage and can last up to three months.
The most common symptoms a person might feel during the acute stage of CRPS include:
- Inflammation
- Changes in skin temperature, color, and texture
- The rapid growth of hair and nails
- Stinging pain,
- Joint pain,
- Muscle spasms, and
- Tactile hypersensitivity
Stage 2 CRPS
Also called the subacute stage. It lasts 3-6 months, and the symptoms continue to worsen. The patient may also develop new symptoms, including:
- Stiff muscles
- Muscle weakness
- The slow growth of hair
- Cracking and breaking of nails
The pain becomes constant at this point and increases in intensity.
Stage 3 CRPS
It’s the final stage, also called the chronic phase. The pain may become unbearable in this phase and, if left untreated, can cause entire limbs to become immovable. In the affected area, tissues, muscles, and even bones may start to break away.
Which stage of the complex regional pain syndrome you are at will help specialists understand the type and level of care you need. With the help of an experienced attorney, you can increase your chances of getting the kind of compensation that will serve you on this arduous path.
The McGill Pain Index
CRPS is a chronic health condition that severely diminishes the quality of life of its victims. In the worst cases, it can even lead to permanent disability. While early intervention is the key, it’s also important to empathize with the pain.
The McGill Pain Index below gives you a glimpse of the intense pain CRPS patients live with daily.
As industry experts representing clients with RSD injuries in Pennsylvania, we aim to bring this knowledge to the negotiation table and the trial courts to ensure you get the best support from the system you need.
Getting the CRPS Compensation You Deserve
Our CRPS/RSD injury lawyers in Pennsylvania win you the best financial compensation you deserve.
We aim to maximize your medical benefits and other rehabilitation compensation so you can pay for the best possible treatment.
A brief list of compensatory benefits that you may be entitled to under the law include
- Medical benefits
- Lost wage compensation
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of quality of life
- Long-term disability benefits
- Cost of assistance
- Punitive damages, and
- Lump sum settlements
Speak With Our Pennsylvania CRPS Attorneys
Lawyers are not medical experts – but after dealing with healthcare specialists for over 100 combined years, personal injury lawyers at Cardamone Law know that a good doctor can make all the difference in a patient’s life.
Professional Experience
As we help you reclaim your life, we hire the expertise of the most seasoned and expert professionals who understand the life-altering consequences of CRPS and have the unique skill to deal with people who suffer from it.
Workers’ Compensation Specialists
At Cardamone Law, we also know that if a workplace injury has caused CRPS, the Pennsylvania Workers’ Comp Act may be a bit limiting in granting you the fair compensation you deserve. The Pennsylvania Workers Comp Act doesn’t permit the award of pain and suffering to injured workers. The statute is a loss of earning power statute.
Workers’ Compensation does not allow pain and suffering damages, but they can be recoverable in a personal injury case. We have helped injury victims obtain tens of millions in damages from CRPS, and there are many situations where we can file a lawsuit separate from your Workers’ Compensation case to get money for these important damages.
Team You Can Trust
Lawyers at Cardamone Law are a team you can trust. With Michael Cardamone, Lisa Lesh, Joel Kundin, and Paul Silver, you have the top Pennsylvania personal injury expertise in your corner. In addition to being the top lawyers, we are approachable and easy to talk with and always give free and comprehensive consults 7 days a week.
Serving Those Suffering from CRPS and RSD Throughout Pennsylvania
Our attorneys are based in Philadelphia, and we serve injury victims throughout the Philadelphia area:
- Delaware County, Chester, etc.
- The Main Line
- Media and Swarthmore
- Montgomery County
- West Chester and Chester County.
Beyond that, we actually practice throughout Pennsylvania and can help wherever you are located:
- Allentown, Easton, Bethlehem, and throughout the Lehigh Valley
- Reading
- York
- Lancaster and Lancaster County
- Harrisburg
- Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and throughout Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties
- State College and Centre County
- Pittsburgh, its suburbs, and throughout Allegheny County
- And more.
Call Our CRPS and RSD Lawyers in Pennsylvania Today
For a free case evaluation, call our CRPS lawyers in Pennsylvania today at Cardamone Law by dialing (267) 651-7945. We can help whether your case involves a personal injury claim or a Workers’ Compensation case.
