OT and CRPS

In a massive 53 page treatment guideline on Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), the authors state:

“Occupational therapists are the ideal therapeutic leaders in the functional restoration process…”

And, go on to devote 2 pages to what this OT care can entail.

In this one hour course, we’ll pull out important implications for OT practice from the entire guideline. As you’ll see, when it comes to treating chronic pain, like CRPS there are a lot of best practices to draw on—but also a lot of unknowns that necessitates close attention to the individual in front of you.

To help us flesh out what this means for OT practice, we’ll welcome to the podcast Megan Doyle, a program manager at an outpatient pain program and a leading voice on OT’s role in pain management.

1. You will be able to recognize recommended assessments for CRPS that OTs can utilize.

2. You will be able to identify OT treatments that are part of the gold-standard treatment algorithm for CRPS.

• Breakdown and analysis of journal article

  • Intro

  • Intent of the CRPS guidelines

  • Diagnosis of CRPS

  • Standardizing assessment of CRPS

  • Functional restoration through an interdisciplinary approach

  • OT treatment for CRPS

  • Article discussion and conclusion

• Discussion on practical implications for OTs

  1. Intro to Megan Doyle

  2. How Megan became interested in pain

  3. Becoming program manager at an outpatient chronic pain clinic

  4. Understanding the mechanisms of CRPS

  5. Client education on CRPS

  6. Impressions of the treatment guideline

  7. Assessments Megan uses for CRPS

  8. Megan’s go-to treatment approaches

  9. Advice for coordinating with other disciplines

  10. How do we need to change to meet the massive global needs around pain

Primary

• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: Practical Diagnostic and Treatment Guidelines, 5th Edition

Additional

• Complex regional pain syndrome: a narrative review for the practising clinician

• Pediatric Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and Occupational Therapy Intervention: A Scoping Review

Supplemental Resources

• Homunculus Image

• Curable Handouts: The Stress-Pain Cycle, The Chronic Pain Path, The Pain Brain vs. The Health Brain

It is the policy of OT Potential to disclose any financial and non-financial interest the provider or instructor may have in a product or service mentioned during an activity. This is to ensure that the audience is made aware of any bias of the speaker.

OT Potential pays guest speakers an honorarium for their participation, either directly or to an institution of the speaker's choosing at their request. We invite guests whose expertise often comes from practices, programs, or building products in their field. Where a speaker has a financial interest in the subject of a course, we disclose it below so you can weigh it for yourself.

OT Potential's interest in this topic: We have no financial stake in this topic.

Speaker interests: Megan Doyle teaches other continuing education courses on chronic pain, in which she has a financial stake.