Post-stroke complex regional pain syndrome and related factors: Experiences from a tertiary rehabilitation center

In this study, it is aimed to determine the risk factors associated with CRPS after stroke and the clinical parameters of the patients and the treatment agents used for CPRS METHOD: 213 hemiplegic patients with CRPS diagnosed in Group 1 and 213 hemiplegic patients without CRPS in group 2 (control group) were included in the study designed retrospectively. Demographic data of the patients, Brunnstrom stage, Modified Ashworth scale, Barthel index were recorded from patients files. Associated risk faktors with CRPS such as Shoulder subluxation, adhesive capsulitis, fracture, deep vein thrombosis, spasticity, neglect, visual field defect, heterotopic ossification, entrapment neuropathies, brachial plexus damage, pressure wound, lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), urinary tract infection, epilepsy, and depression were questioned. In addition, clinical findings, medical treatments, and physical therapy agents used were recorded.

The average age of the participants was 67.9 ± 10.3 in group 1 and 66.1 ± 9.9 in group 2. According to the multivariate logistic regression analysis, the presence of the duration of hemiplegi, the duration of hospitalization, shoulder subluxation, soft tissue lesion, adhesive capsulitis, spasticity, entrapment neuropathy, brachial plexus ınjury, protein energy malnutrition, LRTI, urinary infection, depression, coronary artery disease were significantly increased the development of CRPS (p<0.05). As a clinical parameter, edema was present in 95.3% of the patients, while trophic change was the lowest in 1.9%. While sensory reeducation was used in all patients in physical therapy, ganglion blockade was the lowest with 0.9% of patients. In medical treatment, the use of oral paracetamol was 28.2%, while the use of gabapentin was the last with 8.9%.

In our study, the risk factors of CRPS after hemiplegia, which are as important as its treatment, as well as its diagnosis and prevention, are shown.