Disability Assessment of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
- Author:
Byung Chan LEE
1
Author Information
- Publication Type:Review Article
- From: Clinical Pain 2025;24(1):27-32
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a condition characterized by severe neuropathic pain in a specific body part, accompanied by autonomic dysfunction, trophic changes, and motor/sensory impairments. Despite the presence of these symptoms causing functional limitations, CRPS could not be recognized as a person with a disability in South Korea until 2021.However, from 2021, it has been possible to certify CRPS as a person with a disability. The certification process requires three key criteria: first, a diagnosis according to the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) criteria; second, a sufficient treatment period of over two years since onset of CRPS; and third, evidence of joint contracture or muscle atrophy with objective laboratory or imaging test results. Therefore, it is essential to be familiar with these diagnostic and examination criteria, and, when necessary, to certify individuals with CRPS as having a disability.
