High Frequency Stimulation Could be Effective Treatment for CRPS/RSD, Study Says

A German study found that high frequency repetitive stimulation helped improve tactile ability and overall pain in patients affected by complex regional pain syndrome/reflex sympathetic dystrophy (CRPS/RSD).

The study, published in the Frontiers in Neurology journal, focused on the work done by researchers at the Ruhr-University Bochum, who studied 20 patients diagnosed with CRPS/RSD. As part of the study, the patients were treated over a five-day period with daily, 45-minute stimulation sessions to a hand affected by CRPS/RSD.

After determining the difference between what patients could feel and what actually caused pain, high frequency electrical impulses were applied to the fingertips using a custom hand pad. Of the 20 participants, 16 of them reported improved tactile senses in the affected hand, although their pain levels remained unchanged, but the four remaining participants experienced tactile improvement as well as a decrease in pain of more than 30 percent.

The pain relief experienced by a small number of participants might be due to the short stimulation period of five days, indicating that longer treatment periods might be necessary to obtain consistent pain relief. According to a November 17 press release, the researchers recommended that further studies be conducted to determine whether a more intensive and longer period of treatment might not only improve tactile acuity, but also reduce overall pain levels for more CRPS/RSD sufferers.

Generally, if CRPS/RSD is caught early enough and treated correctly, it stands a much better chance of being put into remission. There are many different types of treatments for CRPS/RSD, so according to American RSDHope, every patient needs to gather as much of the correct information as possible regarding treatment options.