Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a debilitating chronic pain condition that develops in ~5 per cent of people following minor limb trauma, such as a wrist or ankle fracture. Those who experience intense pain in the first week after injury, and still have pain at two months, have a 10-fold higher risk of developing CRPS. Symptoms include burning and shooting pain, as well as fluctuations in temperature, swelling, and sweating of the limb. Current first-line treatments often fail to provide adequate pain relief, and there is low-quality evidence for their efficacy. Furthermore, they do not target the underlying causes of CRPS.
This project aims to understand the neuroinflammatory mechanisms underlying CRPS development using advanced medical imaging techniques like positron emission tomography (PET) and ultrahigh-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). It will study 40 post-wrist fracture patients with persistent pain, who experienced severe pain initially, assessing them at 2- and 8-months post-fracture to observe neuroinflammatory changes as some transition to CRPS. By focusing on the activation of glial cells, like astrocytes and microglia, the project seeks to pinpoint their roles in pain pathways and abnormal brain activity. Our study is expected to identify early diagnostic markers and novel therapeutic targets for CRPS treatment.
Associate Professor Marc Russo, Hunter Pain Specialists, University of Newcastle, and University of Sydney, NSW;  Associate Professor Paul Austin, Dr Zeynab Alshelh, University of Sydney, NSW; Professor Peter Drummond, Murdoch University, Western Australia; Dr Peter Georgius, Sunshine Coast Clinical Research, Queensland.
The project was awarded A$70,000 funding through the ANZCA research grants program for 2025.