Case Strategy for Disability
Claims Based on CPRS

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CPRS), formerly known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy or RSD, is something that afflicts people with a chronic pain condition. Complex Regional Pain Syndrome is much like Peripheral Neuropathy and Fibromyalgia, each of which have become more recognized in the medical field and are being used more and more in disability cases as feasible arguments to win Social Security disability benefits.

CRPS is a condition that tends to only get worse as time goes on and generally affects the arms, legs, hands or feet. The pain may spread to include the leg and the arm. Further symptoms of CRPS include the dramatic change in color and temperature of the skin on the affected body part. The sufferer of Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome may complain of a burning sensation to the affected area, skin sensitivity, swelling, and sweating. Other sufferers may feel extreme coldness to the affected area of the body.

Administrative Law Judges are considering CRPS a legitimate disability, but the attorney presenting the case, or the individual representing themselves, must be able to prove they suffer from this illness and for how long they have been living with the diagnosis. Since CRPS is a condition that only continues to get worse over time, you will need to prove to the lawyer that your ability to work will only decrease as time goes on.

The extreme pain associated with CRPS can result in:

• a decrease in attention and concentration
• a hard time keeping up the pace
• difficulty withstanding the everyday stress of having a job due to the physical pain
• stress from memory impairments caused by the pain

All in all, workers with CRPS will likely have issues with reliability and will miss many days of work due to pain.

A vocational expert will likely be called in as a witness, and he or she will be able to evaluate the claimant’s allegations and will best be able to tell the judge if the person is able to work or not.