COMPLEX REGIONAL PAIN SYNDROME IN CHILDREN: A BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW AND A PEDIATRIC TRAUMATOLOGIST-ORTHOPEDIST’S CASE REPORT

Abstract

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) in children has specific features that distinguish it from the adult form. In addition, there are no specific data on possible manifestations, diagnostic criteria and therapeutic aspects of this pathology. Depending on the severity of symptoms, CRPS leads to functional disorders of the body, a decrease in the quality of life. The research includes a case report of a patient with CRPS in the distal segment of the limb (foot); the diagnosis was made 4 months earlier and the patient responded well to the treatment. The Authors also speculate about CRPS determinants. In the reported case, the combination of following factors was revealed: a pathological relationship in the talonavicular and calcaneal junction (vertical talus) making the normal biomechanical movements in the foot impossible; trauma; hypersthenic physique of a child with pronounced subcutaneous fat in the foot as well. No genetic criteria or significant neurological abnormalities were identified in the patient. Undoubtedly, the causes and ways of CRPS occurrence in children should be carefully studied by pediatricians as well as experts in other fields.