About Us
Mission statement
Who are we?
A network of health care professionals and researchers who are interested in research, education and promoting best care for patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). We are not a patient support group.
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Our Story
We formed in 2008, with a small group of people who were frustrated by the lack of progress in the understanding of the causes and course of patients who had been diagnosed with CRPS. Limited treatments and information for this pain condition were available and we believed that by working more closely together we would be able to achieve more.
Our membership has now increased to more than 50 colleagues. We have guided and supported new researchers, published new patient information literature and built up an extensive portfolio of research publications. As a Network, we represent expertise and interest in CRPS across the entire lifespan: children, adolescents and adults.
Three specific achievements have enabled us to raise awareness nationally and internationally:
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Development of a national registry for adults with CRPS
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Publication of the Royal College of Physicians UK Clinical Guidelines on CRPS
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Development of the CRPS ASSIST app, on behalf of European Pain Federation EFIC. This is a free European app for therapists with little or knowledge about the condition.
People living with CRPS have worked with us on these and many other projects. They help ensure that our work is focused on the things that matter most to patients.
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Our Aims
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Raising awareness and understanding of CRPS amongst health professionals, patients and the general public.
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Developing or contributing to information that reflects current clinical practice and research.
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Developing or contributing to identified educational and training needs for health professionals.
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Facilitating collaborative research projects in CRPS and linking this to patient care within clinical practice.
Key roles
Chair, CRPS Network and UK Registry: Dr Nicholas Shenker.
Dr Shenker is a Consultant Rheumatologist at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge. He delivers a weekly clinic for patients with CRPS, with access to physiotherapists and occupational therapists who have expertise in seeing people with this condition. As an Honorary Fellow of the University of Cambridge, Dr Shenker is involved with a number of research studies - collaborations include the field of genetics, MRI imaging, EEG testing and virtual reality environments.
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Co-Ordinator, CRPS Network and UK Registry: Lisa Buckle.
Lisa is a Research Project Facilitator at the Royal United Hospital in Bath. She has various financial and administrative responsibilities within the Research & Development Department, and also contributes to some CRPS-related studies such as COMPACT. Lisa maintains the CRPS UK registry database and Network website. She is also responsible for all administrative aspects of the Network.
Our links with
other organisations
International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) Special Interest Group for CRPS:
Dr Janet Bultitude is the current co-chair of this group and a CRPS Network member. Other members have had past roles.
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International Research Consortium for CRPS (IRC):
All Network members are encouraged to join this non-profit global research community. Professor Andreas Goebel, Professor Candy McCabe and Dr Sharon Grieve are on the board of directors.
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British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) Musculoskeletal Pain Specialist Interest Group:
Our Chair, Dr Nicholas Shenker, is a past chair of this group.
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CRPS UK and Burning Nights:
We support the work of both patient-led charities for people with CRPS within the UK. Our members have been guest speakers at conferences and we have collaborated on patient literature projects.
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Become a member
We are always open to increasing our membership, so please contact us if you are interested in joining the CRPS Network.
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There are no formal criteria - we simply ask that you have an expertise or interest in CRPS and support our mission statement. Academic researchers and NHS health professionals from all disciplines are welcome. Please note that we are a professional network, so members of the public cannot join.
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We usually hold two meetings per year, which currently take place online. Email contact is maintained in between meetings, with opportunities to lead or take part in collaborative projects as required.
