CRPS / RSD

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic neuroinflammatory condition. It has also been known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD). Those who suffer from one of the two types of this condition may experience serious burning pain, changes to bone and skin, significant sweating, tissue swelling, and allodynia (sensitivity to touch). Frustratingly, one version of this condition can be triggered by tissue injuries even when no underlying nerve injury exists. If you suffered CRPS/RSD because of injuries you sustained in an accident caused by someone else —whether a car accident or a construction accident or a slip and fall— it is imperative that you speak to an experienced Syracuse personal injury lawyer about your potential claim. These cases are complex, and insurers may be skeptical of the extent of your pain. DeFrancisco & Falgiatano Personal Injury Attorneys may be able to help you.

You can develop CRPS Type I even if you have no underlying nerve injury. However, if you suffer injuries because of high velocity impact, you could wind up with Type II CRPS or causalgia. Bones, blood vessels, muscles, skin, and nerves may be impacted. The condition was documented more than a century ago in connection with Civil War veterans; unfortunately, though it has been documented for some time, doctors don’t always believe a patient’s symptoms, and this in turn can affect the damages recovered in litigation, making it especially important to someone who understands this complicated injury.

It's not clear why some people develop CRPS, and others don’t, but it’s possible the sympathetic nervous system of some people malfunctions. Misfiring of nerves transmit pain signals to the brain. The condition is still subject to research because aspects of it are mysterious, but it is often related to trauma to extremities like fractures, surgeries, sprains, and brain injuries. No specific lab test diagnoses this condition.

A significant symptom of CRPS/RSD is intense pain out of all proportion to how severe your injury seems. For example, if you were in a car accident and broke a bone and then a month later when the bone seemed to be healing, you suffered terrible pain, purple blotchiness, swelling, and changes to the sensitivity in the skin around the area on your limbs where the break occurred, you should see a doctor about the possibility of CRPS/RSD. If we are your attorneys, you should also let us know about these types of changes, so we can be alert to the possibility of harm.

Early diagnosis is critical to CRPS/RSD. No lab test will diagnose it, but imaging studies may by. A health care provider to diagnose the condition. The condition should be diagnosed early to stop the syndrome from progressing. Treatment may involve physical therapy, medication and even surgery. Every case is different.

To prove that your CRPS was the result of ordinary negligence, our lawyers would need to prove: (1) you were owed a duty of reasonable care, (2) breach of the duty of reasonable care, (3) causation, and (4) actual damages. The circumstances will dictate what the standard of care was. Drivers, for example, owe a duty of reasonable care to others with whom they share the road, and they may breach it by speeding, weaving, tailgating, drunk driving, and driving while distracted.

CRPS/RSD may also develop as a result of injuries sustained from medical malpractice. To establish liability for medical malpractice, we will need to prove: (1) there was a doctor-patient relationship giving rise to a professional standard of care, (2) breach of the professional standard of care, (3) causation, and (4) damages.

Damages our attorneys may be able to recover on your behalf include compensation for lost wages, medical bills, replacement services, out-of-pocket costs, pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and lost earning capacity.

If you experienced CRPS/RSD as a result of injuries inflicted by someone else, you should talk with our seasoned Syracuse lawyers. DeFrancisco & Falgiatano Personal Injury Attorneys has more than 30 years of experience seeking best results for accident victims in Wampsville, Watertown Buffalo, Utica, Albany, Oneida, Canandaigua, Lowville, Auburn, Rochester, Herkimer, Oswego, Lyons, Ithaca, Cooperstown, Elmira, Binghamton, and all of Upstate New York. For a free consultation, complete our online form or call us at 833-200-2000.