Pain Reprocessing Therapy for CRPS

What is CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome)?

CRPS is a debilitating post-traumatic pain disorder that usually develops in a limb, often after an injury, a surgery, a stroke or a heart attack, but then spreads to other areas.

The pain is out of proportion to the severity of the initial injury and is known to be particularly excruciating; it is considered one of the most painful conditions with sufferers describing burning sensations in the affected limbs.

Around 17,000 people in the UK live with this debilitating condition, but despite its severity and impact on those affected, many people have still not heard of it.

What is Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT)?

Pain Reprocessing Therapy is a talk-based therapy which uses psychological techniques to help the brain build new neural pathways, ones without pain.

All pain is real and all pain is created in the brain. But if the brain can learn pain, it can also unlearn it.

We now know that most chronic pain is neuroplastic in nature—that it is caused by learned neural pathways in the brain. With fMRI scanning, it’s even possible to see the different areas of the brain lighting up depending on whether pain is acute or chronic in nature.

Essentially, with persistent pain, the brain has learned over time to become very good at sending pain signals—even when these are no longer required.

Indeed, the brain can create and amplify any sensations in the body giving rise to chronic symptoms such as those most commonly experienced with CRPS including burning, tingling or extreme pain and sensitivity.

PRT helps people understand and respond to pain or chronic symptoms in a different way, which changes how the brain processes them.

Does Pain Reprocessing Therapy Really Work?

The idea that talking therapy can not only relieve pain but in many cases eliminate it entirely, may sound far-fetched and implausible, particularly for those living with excruciating levels of pain every day.

But in 2021, PRT was tested in a ground-breaking study at the University of Colorado. The study found that 66% of participants with chronic back pain became pain-free or nearly pain-free after just four weeks of PRT, and 98% had some level of pain reduction. Participants in this study had been living with back pain for an average of ten years.

Who Can Benefit from PRT?

Studies have shown that PRT is particularly effective for chronic pain conditions with no clear structural cause, such as back and neck pain, fibromyalgia, migraines, IBS and more.

• Pain Reprocessing Therapy for CRPS
• What is Somatic Tracking? (And could it help your chronic pain or symptoms?)
• What is Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT)?

What About Pain Reprocessing Therapy for CRPS?

Does CRPS have a structural cause?

Dr Deepak Ravindran explains the science behind CRPS and why it is a primary pain syndrome. He explores how the nervous system and the immune system become oversensitive and overprotective leading to debilitating pain and symptoms such as burning, swelling and colour changes.

Pain Reprocessing Therapy for CRPS: Does It Work?

Currently, no randomised controlled trials have examined whether Pain Reprocessing Therapy can effectively treat CRPS specifically.

However, practitioners such as Dr Howard Schubiner, MD, clinical professor from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and author of Unlearn Your Pain, have successfully helped a number of CRPS patients make full recoveries or experience dramatic reductions in pain.

While PRT may not be a proven cure for CRPS at this stage, it could serve as a valuable adjunctive treatment, particularly for reducing hypersensitive pain responses and maladaptive pain patterns.

Anecdotal evidence of new treatments offers progress and hope for recovery and symptom relief for CRPS sufferers.

Find Out More About PRT for CRPS

See further information about Dr Schubiner’s work with CRPS, along with two videos, patient stories and a podcast discussion here:

https://www.thismighthurtfilm.com/crps

Find Out More: The Way Out

A good introduction to Pain Reprocessing Therapy is this book: The Way Out: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven Approach to Heal Chronic Pain by Alan Gordon and Alon Ziv.

It explains the concepts and key exercises, along with the stories and case studies of people who have successfully eliminated their pain or symptoms by following the PRT methods.

Burning Nights CRPS Support

This article first appeared in the Spring/Summer 2025 printed edition of Warriors LIFELINE magazine for the CRPS support charity, Burning Nights.

Burning Nights is a UK-wide charity providing support for individuals affected by Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), as well as their families.

Their mission is to provide vital information, advocacy, and raise awareness about this life-altering condition.

To learn more about their essential work and how they make a difference in the lives of those living with CRPS, please visit their website here .

References:

Ashar et al ‘Effect of Pain Reprocessing Therapy vs Placebo and Usual Care for Patients With Chronic Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial’ JAMA Psychiatry, 2022.

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