Overview
Since CRPS is rare and healthcare providers don’t totally understand it, it’s often misdiagnosed.
There’s no specific test to diagnose CRPS. Healthcare providers mainly diagnose it through a careful medical history, physical examination and review of your symptoms. Your provider will ask you if you’ve had a recent injury or surgery.
They will look for:
- A change in the appearance, temperature and texture of your skin in the affected area.
- A higher-than-expected amount of pain from an injury.
- Any other disease or conditions that could cause your pain, changes in your skin or other symptoms.
They may order imaging tests, such as an ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to look for underlying nerve damage. But it’s not always possible to find the nerve damage.
Your provider may also order other tests to rule out conditions that cause similar symptoms. For example, electromyography (EMG) may reveal other causes of neuropathy, which may result in some similar pain scenarios.
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Symptoms
When to see a doctor
Complications
Blood clots are a dangerous complication of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Blood clots can lead to stroke.
The risk of stroke from AFib increases as you grow older. Other health conditions also may increase the risk of a stroke due to AFib. These conditions include:
- High blood pressure.
- Diabetes.
- Heart failure.
- Some types of heart valve disease.
Blood thinners are commonly prescribed to prevent blood clots and strokes in people with atrial fibrillation.
Prevention
Healthy lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of heart disease and may prevent atrial fibrillation (AFib). Here are some basic heart-healthy tips:
- Control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
- Don't smoke or use tobacco.
- Eat a diet that's low in salt and saturated fat.
- Exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week unless your health care team says not to.
- Get good sleep. Adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours daily.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Reduce and manage stress.
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