Movement Disorders Associated with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: A Narrative Review

Authors

  • Clemente Matos de Almeida Serviço de Medicina Física e de Reabilitação, Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo, EPER, Ponta Delgada, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9948-3334
  • Alexandre Camões-Barbosa Clínica de Neurotoxina, Unidade de Neurofisiologia, ULS São José, Lisboa, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0003-6367
  • Tomé Rodrigues Matos Serviço de Medicina Física e de Reabilitação, ULS Médio Tejo, Torres Novas, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1153-6639
  • Ana Rita Aguiar Serviço de Medicina Física e de Reabilitação, Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo, EPER, Ponta Delgada, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5589-2374
  • Margarida Fernandes Serviço de Medicina Física e de Reabilitação, Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo, EPER, Ponta Delgada, Portugal https://orcid.org/0009-0002-1091-356X
  • João Sampaio Serviço de Medicina Física e de Reabilitação, Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo, EPER, Ponta Delgada, Portugal
  • Sabrina Pimentel Serviço de Medicina Física e de Reabilitação, Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo, EPER, Ponta Delgada, Portugal https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5433-836X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25759/spmfr.572

Keywords:

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome;, Movement Disorders, Dystonia, Tremor, Botulinum Toxin, Type A

Abstract

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a rare condition that typically affects the limbs—most often the wrist or ankle—following an injury, with (type II) or without (type I) demonstrable nerve damage. Clinically, it is characterized by pain disproportionate to the inciting event, accompanied by sensory, autonomic, motor, and trophic abnormalities. Among motor manifestations, movement disorders such as dystonia, tremor, and myoclonus are common but often underdiagnosed and poorly understood, although included in the Budapest diagnostic criteria. Their pathophysiology appears to involve maladaptive cortical plasticity, dysfunction of the motor cortex and basal ganglia, and altered proprioception and motor control. Diagnosis and management are highly challenging, particularly within Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine. This narrative review aims to summarize the clinical features, underlying mechanisms, and current therapeutic strategies for movement disorders associated with CRPS.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Azqueta-Gavaldón M, Schulte-Göcking H, Storz C, Azad S, Reiners A, Borsook D, et al. Basal ganglia dysfunction in complex regional pain syndrome - A valid hypothesis? Eur J Pain. 2017;21(3):415-424.

van Hilten JJ. Movement disorders in complex regional pain syndrome. Pain. 2010;150(3):268-274.

Albanese A, Bhatia K, Bressman SB, et al. Phenomenology and classification of dystonia: a consensus update. Mov Disord. 2013;28(7):863-873.

van Hilten JJ, van de Beek WJ, Vein AA, de Weerd AW, Roos RAC. Clinical aspects of dystonia in complex regional pain syndrome. Neurology. 2001;57(4):701-707.

Schwartzman RJ, Kerrigan J. The movement disorder of reflex sympathetic dystrophy. Neurology. 1990;40(1):57-61.

van Rijn MA, Marinus J, van Hilten JJ. Movement disorders in complex regional pain syndrome. Pain. 2007;130(3):287-293.

Bhatia KP, Bhatt MH, Marsden CD. The causalgia-dystonia syndrome. Brain. 1993;116(4):843-851.

van de Beek WJ, Vein AA, van Hilten JJ. Clinical aspects and pathophysiology of dystonia in complex regional pain syndrome. Mov Disord. 2002;17(5):881-888.

Morelet T, Saunier J, Lapeyre É, Geny C, Dousset V. Tonic dystonia: an uncommon complication of reflex sympathetic dystrophy. Rev Neurol (Paris). 2005;161(10):1015-1022.

Jankovic J, Van der Linden C. Dystonia and tremor induced by peripheral trauma or surgery. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1988;51(12):1512-1519.

Verdugo RJ, Ochoa JL. Abnormal movements in complex regional pain syndrome: assessment of characteristics. Muscle Nerve. 2000;23(2):198-205.

Birklein F, Riedl B, Claus D, Neundörfer B. Neurological findings in complex regional pain syndrome - Analysis of 145 cases. Acta Neurol Scand. 2000;101(4):262-269.

Agrawal S, McKeon A, Pittock SJ, Matsumoto JY. Complex regional pain syndrome in children: clinical characteristics and outcome. Eur J Paediatr Neurol. 2009;13(6):524-529.

van der Laan L, ter Laak HJ, Gabreëls-Festen A. Complex regional pain syndrome type 1 (RSD): pathology of skeletal muscle and peripheral nerve. Neurology. 1999;52(5):1114-1119.

Reedijk WB, van Rijn MA, Roelofs K, Tuijl JP, Marinus J, van Hilten JJ. Psychological features of CRPS-I related dystonia. Mov Disord. 2008;23(11):1551-1559.

de Rooij AM, Grosso MF, Haasnoot GW, Marinus J, Verduijn W, Claas FHJ, et al. HLA-DQ1 associated with complex regional pain syndrome. Pain. 2009;145(1-2):82-85.

van Rooijen DE, Roelen DL, Verduijn W, Marinus J, van Hilten JJ. Genetic associations with CRPS and dystonia. Neurology. 2012;79(22):2307-2313.

van Rijn MA, Munts AG, Marinus J, et al. Reduced cortical inhibition in CRPS type I. Clin Neurophysiol. 2011;122(2):326-332.

Maihöfner C, Handwerker HO, Neundörfer B, Birklein F. Cortical reorganization during recovery from CRPS. Neurology. 2004;63(4):693-701.

Bhatia KP, Bain P, Bajaj N, Elble RJ, Hallett M, Louis ED, et al. Consensus statement on the classification of tremors. Mov Disord. 2018;33(1):75-87.

Veldman PHJM, Reynen HM, Arntz IE, Goris RJJA. Signs and symptoms of reflex sympathetic dystrophy: prospective study of 829 patients. Lancet. 1993;342(8878):1012-1016.

de Boer RD, Marinus J, van Hilten JJ. Motor abnormalities in CRPS: a systematic review. Pain Med. 2011;12(9):1579-1591.

Deuschl G, Lücking CH, Schenck E, Schulte-Mattler W. Tremor in reflex sympathetic dystrophy. Mov Disord. 1991;6(3):241-248.

van der Veen S, Zutt R, Klein C, Marras C, Berkovic SF, Caviness JN, et al. Nomenclature of genetically determined myoclonus syndromes: MDS Task Force recommendations. Mov Disord. 2019;34(11):1602-1613.

Munts AG, van Rootselaar AF, van der Meer JN, Koelman JHTM, van Hilten JJ, Tijssen MAJ. Clinical and neurophysiological characterization of myoclonus in CRPS. Mov Disord. 2008;23(4):581-587.

Alexander GM, van Rijn MA, van Hilten JJ, Perreault MJ, Schwartzman RJ. CSF pro-inflammatory cytokines in CRPS. Pain. 2005;116(3):213-219.

Alexander GM, Perreault MJ, Reichenberger ER, Schwartzman RJ. Immune and glial markers in CSF of CRPS. Brain Behav Immun. 2007;21(5):668-676.

Wasner G, Schattschneider J, Heckmann K, Maier C, Baron R. Vascular abnormalities in CRPS I: mechanisms and diagnostic value. Brain. 2001;124(3):587-599.

Wasner G, Heckmann K, Maier C, Baron R. Vascular abnormalities in acute CRPS I: complete inhibition of sympathetic nerve activity with recovery. Arch Neurol. 1999;56(5):613-620.

Eberle T, Doganci B, Kramer HH, et al. Warm and cold CRPS: differences beyond skin temperature? Neurology. 2009;72(6):505-512.

Gibbs GF, Drummond PD, Finch PM, Phillips JK. Sympathetically maintained pain in CRPS. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2008;35(6):717-724.

Juottonen K, Gockel M, Silén T, Hurri H, Hari R. Altered central sensorimotor processing in CRPS. Neuroreport. 2002;13(8):1139-1143.

Di Pietro F, McAuley JH, Parkitny L, Lotze M, Wand BM, Moseley GL. S1 reorganization in CRPS: MEG meta-analysis. Front Hum Neurosci. 2016;10:16.

Pieger B, Draganski B, Schwenkreis P, Lenz M, Nicolas V, Maier C, et al. CRPS I affects brain structure in prefrontal and motor cortex. PLoS One. 2014;9(1):e85372.

Linnman C, Becerra L, Lebel A, et al. fMRI activation during pediatric CRPS type I. Pain. 2013;154(10):1979-1987.

Ferreira EF, Camões-Barbosa A. IncobotulinumtoxinA in refractory temporomandibular disorder due to disk dislocation: a prospective study. J Stomatol Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2024;26:101804.

Camões-Barbosa A. Efficacy of incobotulinumtoxinA for spasticity-associated pain: a series. Med Res Arch. 2023;11(5).

Wissel J, Camões-Barbosa A, Comes G, Althaus M, Schechonka A, Simpson DM. Pain reduction after incobotulinumtoxinA for limb spasticity. Toxins (Basel). 2021;13(12):887.

Santos RF, Machado M, Ferro M, Camões-Barbosa A. Botulinum toxin type A in trigeminal neuralgia: case series & review. Cureus. 2024;16(11):e73389.

Camões-Barbosa A, Neves AF. Analgesic effect of abobotulinum/incobotulinum toxins A in central post-stroke pain: two case reports. PM R. 2016;8(4):384-387.

Freitas M, Camões-Barbosa A. BoNT injection for thoracic outlet syndrome due to supernumerary scalenus muscle: case report. J Clin Diagn Res. 2022;16(2):KD01-KD03.

Camões-Barbosa A, Ribeiro IM, Medeiros L. Contralateral upper limb weakness after BoNT-A for post-stroke spasticity. Acta Med Port. 2020;33(11):761-764.

Pinho S, Camões-Barbosa A, Hatia M, Moeda F, Melo X, Tocha J. Shoulder spasticity treatment with BoNT: nationwide survey. Cureus. 2023;15(11):e48493.

Kharkar S, Ambady P, Schwartzman RJ. Intramuscular BoNT in CRPS. Pain Physician. 2011;14(5):419-425.

Matak I, Lacković Z. The role of botulinum toxin in neuropathic pain: mechanisms and clinical applications. Front Neurol. 2020;11:110.

Portugal DM, Ferreira EF, Camões-Barbosa A. BoNT-A therapy for bilateral focal neuropathic pruritus in MS: case report. Int J Rehabil Res. 2021;44(4):382-383.

Kwak SG, Choi JY, Chang MC. BoNT for intractable allodynia in CRPS: case series. Neurol Asia. 2020;25(1):87-92.

Schilder JCM, van Dijk JG, Dressler D, Birklein F, Huygen FJPM. Responsiveness to BoNT-A in CRPS-related tonic dystonia. J Neural Transm. 2014;121(6):761-767.

Mangnus J, van Dijk JG, Schouten AC, Perez RSGM, Huygen FJPM. EMGguided assessment of BoNT effect in CRPS dystonia. Pain Pract. 2022;22(3):237-246.

Su YC, Hsieh PC, Guo YH, Lin YC. Effectiveness and safety of botulinum toxin in CRPS: meta-analysis. Life (Basel). 2022;12(12):2037.

Cordivari C, Misra VP, Catania S, Lees AJ. Treatment of dystonic clenched fist with BoNT. Mov Disord. 2001;16(5):907-913.

Carroll I, Clark JD, Mackey S. Sympathetic block with botulinum toxin to treat CRPS. Ann Neurol. 2009;65(3):348-351.

Lee Y, Lee CJ, Choi E, Lee PB, Lee HJ, Nahm FS. Lumbar sympathetic block with BoNT-A and BoNT-B for CRPS. Toxins (Basel). 2018;10(4):164.

Yoo Y, Lee CS, Kim J, Jo D, Moon JY. BoNT-A for lumbar sympathetic ganglion block in CRPS: randomized trial. Anesthesiology. 2022;136(2):314-325.

McBride J, Gironell A, Koller W, Lyons KE, Wilkinson S, Brin MF, et al. Botulinum toxin restores presynaptic inhibition of group Ia afferents in essential tremor. Brain. 1998;121(6):1005-1012.

Leda H, Mitsikostas DD, et al. Botulinum toxin therapy in chronic pain syndromes: clinical course and timing. Toxins (Basel). 2022;14(4):285.

Mitsikostas DD, et al. Onset, peak and duration of effect of onabotulinumtoxinA in chronic migraine: a patient-level analysis. J Headache Pain. 2021;22:116.

Published

2026-07-31

How to Cite

1.
Matos de Almeida C, Camões-Barbosa A, Rodrigues Matos T, Rita Aguiar A, Fernandes M, Sampaio J, et al. Movement Disorders Associated with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: A Narrative Review. SPMFR [Internet]. 2026 Jul. 31 [cited 2026 Jul. 31];38(2):48-54. Available from: https://spmfrjournal.org/index.php/spmfr/article/view/572

Issue

Section

Review Article

Similar Articles

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.