Acupuncture for the Treatment of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: Rand

Randall is a 52-year-old who has been suffering from complex regional pain syndrome for the last eleven years. It began as an accident on the job, which injured his right foot. He continued working afterward and hoped that the pain would eventually go away, but after four months he did not see improvement. He went to a doctor who performed an MRI and told him that he had two sesamoid fractures.

At the time, Randall was working in California at a job that required him to be on his feet all day. He worked on uneven surfaces and struggled to heal due to constantly being on his feet. He wore a boot for over ten months and got nerve blocks, but the pain did not subside.

During his time wearing the boot, Randall says he developed complex regional pain syndrome, known as CRPS. According to the NIH, “CRPS is a broad term that covers long-lasting pain and inflammation that can happen after an injury or a medical event, such as surgery, trauma, stroke, or heart attack.”

When he received his diagnosis, Randall says the doctor told him, “You’re going to be dealing with this pain for the rest of your life. I feel sorry for you.” Randall says that he thought, “No. That cannot be my story.”

Although the pain began in one area, it began to spread. “Mostly it’s in my right leg, but I’ve had it (pain) in my left leg, my face, my lips, everywhere you can think,” Randall says. “You get sharp pains, you get cramps, you get bone pain, skin pain. You feel like your body’s on fire.”

Working with the VA in California, Randall says they tried many medications but had no success. At one point, they tried a series of ketamine infusions, which he says were helpful. One day while he was getting a ketamine infusion, his pain management specialist asked if he would like to try acupuncture. She said it was known for helping with pain and for improving circulation. Randall says, “I said sure, why not? I’ve got nothing to lose. I’m burning every day. I’ll try anything.”

Randall said those initial treatments gave him some relief, but he moved to North Carolina shortly after he began those treatments. Once he established himself as a new patient in NC, he says he struggled to get effective treatment. “The doctors here were clueless,” he says. “They didn’t understand what I had or how to treat it. And I’d end up in the emergency room because I was in so much pain, but they’d give me nothing. I was really hurting.”

With no relief for his pain, Randall says that he started drinking and using marijuana. “You’ll do anything to relieve the pain,” he says. “People don’t understand how bad this pain is. The McGill index pain scale rates CRPS at 50, which is above labor. I used to just beg God to help me. I would never wish this condition on anybody.”

When Randall asked the VA about continuing his acupuncture treatments, they recommended Garrett Krause at Queen City Acupuncture and Wellness. “From the beginning, he was amazing,” says Randall. “I told him my story and how everything in my life had been impacted by this. I had been retired for five years because of this pain. I couldn’t work, and I couldn’t work out. I couldn’t stand on my feet, and I was missing out on doing things with my little girl.”

Randall began electro-acupuncture treatments and later added shockwave therapy treatments. “For the first few months, I felt a little better but then the pain would come right back. But as time went on, probably six months in, I started to notice significant changes,” he says. “I wasn’t burning to the touch anymore. I could put on different shoes. I could walk barefoot a little, which I wasn’t able to do before.”

Acupuncturist Garrett Krause says, “When Randall started with me, I knew it wasn't going  to be a quick fix, as is the case with most chronic pain conditions.  Explaining the process and adjusting treatment as we went was half the battle, and Randall sticking through the course of treatment was the other.”

 Randall continued treatments and made even more progress. “My feet have turned the corner,” he says. “I started working out again, which is amazing. I missed the gym for so long. It’s a mental game changer, and it keeps me sane. My diet’s on point. I’m sober- I’ve gotten off the alcohol and the marijuana. Garrett’s shown me I don’t have to be on that stuff.”

After years of not being able to work, Randall says he has a job again. “I’m working,” he says. “I’m working out. I can help my mother, who’s not the healthiest. I take the dogs for walks, and I can go up and down steps again. I’m a better person, and I love that people are noticing it. I’ve told Garrett how much I appreciate him. He has helped me turn the corner, and he really cares. I feel safe out there in the world again. Thank God I found him. I feel like I got my life back, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Garrett says, “Although he isn’t ‘cured, Randall has a life now where he's able to get back to doing the things he enjoys and needs to do for himself and his family.  He comes in on a maintenance basis, making sure we prevent any flare-ups or regression.”