When you’re dealing with the intense, unrelenting pain of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), patience can wear more than a wee bit thin.
Also, it’s hard to concentrate when dealing with the symptoms of this rare neuro-inflammatory disease:
- Deep, aching, cold or burning pain and/or super sensitivity of the skin
- Pain caused by things that shouldn’t cause pain, such as soft, comfortable clothing touching the skin
- Abnormal swelling at the painful area
- Abnormal hair or nail growth and skin color changes
- Abnormal sweating and/or skin temperatures
- Limited range of motion, weakness, muscle paralysis or severe cramping
When you’re in the clutches of CRPS, you need to find easy-to-trust information quickly and easily.
Now, when I first started writing professionally (so, so, so many years ago), I was surprised that there were magazines for virtually everything. It was good news for me—it meant the market for my writing wasn’t as infinitesimal as I’d feared.
It’s even better news for patients trying to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in their disease communities.
Since the dawn of the internet, however, we’ve been inundated with writing—most of it bad. Gone are the days when editors held writers accountable for truth and carefully-crafted words. Hullo, “headline generators,” which spew out article titles meant to ensure the maximum number of clicks regardless of content. (Yes, I used one to illustrate my point for this article. Did it make you click?)
That’s why I was excited to find an online magazine focused on chronic pain that actually had… Drumroll please!… footnotes with credible sources!
Being aware of the quality of information you’re accessing about CRPS is essential these days. You need to think critically and always, ALWAYS consider the source.
For instance, the article about CRPS in Pain Pathways has great, valid information with legitimate medical references to support it. It’s not until the end of the article, via a link, that I realized that the article was sponsored (and likely written by) the manufacturer of a medical device for dorsal root ganglion therapy.
So, a little dash of salty skepticism gets added to the material. Still, because of the references, I have what I need to make informed judgments about the content—and overall, the article is well worth your time.
