According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 20.4% of U.S. adults (50.2 million people) experienced chronic pain in 2019. This means that about 1 in 5 adults in the United States lives with chronic pain, according to the CDC.  

Conditions such as complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) are a chronic pain condition that can be extremely debilitating for those who live with it, leaving individuals such as myself struggling with severe and persistent pain. This condition often develops after an injury, surgery, stroke, or heart attack. It causes intense pain, skin color changes, temperature changes to the affected area, and many other distressing symptoms. 

 In 2023, I was diagnosed with CRPS following an Achilles tendon tear from a work injury. Since then, surgery and several outpatient treatments to repair the injury, have been frustrating and exhausting, each day requires careful planning to avoid overexertion, because even small missteps can lead to painful flare-ups that take a toll both physically and emotionally. 

 There is no cure for CRPS.   However, there are several treatments focused on pain management.  One such treatment is called   lumbar sympathetic block, a series of injections administered between the L1 and L4 vertebrae in the spine. I underwent this treatment myself, in 2023, the injections provided minimal and temporary relief from the pain, but unfortunately for me the pain returned.  

 CRPS is a very rare condition affecting approximately 26.2 people per 100,000 each year, according to the National Institutes of Health.  

Many individuals with CRPS lose independence because the pain can become so severe they can no longer fully care for themselves, often relying on family members or caregivers for daily support. 

I am hopeful that researchers are making major strides in understanding and treating CRPS, with promising new therapies.  and one day I will find myself pain free.  

I hope by sharing my experience I can promote empathy for those silently battling chronic pain such as CRPS.