CRPS Treatment: pain in hand for 5 months

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CRPS Treatment: pain in hand for 5 months

Contents

General details and patient's info

Gender:Female.
Age:60 years old at the time of treatment.
Home Country:USA.
Illness duration:5 months prior to the Neridronate Treatment.
Cause:Right wrist fracture, falling during a bike ride.
Symptoms:After removing the cast on her hand/wrist, the patient found her fingers to be very dark and shiny. Very painful to move fingers and to perform any movement. Pain levels are constantly around 10/10. She had to quit her job as an elementary teacher because the children were often hurting her by grabbing her hands.
Clinical evaluation:CRPS diagnosis, following right wrist nondisplaced fracture.
Time of treatment:December 2022.

Why the Patient decided to undergo the CRPS Treatment in Italy

This lady, who has Italian origins, was not satisfied by the support she received from her doctors in America. She thought that they underestimated her condition, focusing only on the emotional side to it. She started to research on her own and understood that the Italian approach could be the right solution for her.

Medical treatment the Patient underwent in Italy

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a severely painful and disabling disease for which a multitude of therapeutic interventions have been proposed. In the past two decades, only Bisphosphonates gained credibility. In recent years, more convincing evidence has become available on the use of Parenteral Neridronate. Since 2014, this drug is registered and marketed in Italy for the treatment of CRPS. To date, the only therapeutic schedule that is recognized to be able to confer benefit is the intravenous (IV) administration of 100 mg given 4 times.

4 neridronate infusions (100mg, I.v. in saline Solution 0,9% 250 ml)

See the Official Study on the Oxford Academics website: https://academic.oup.com/rheumatology/article/52/3/534/1777330

4 Pantoprazole infusions; Paracetamol.

3 sessions Massotherapy Rehabilitation Treatment with Physiotherapist.
Rehabilitation therapy is a full body workout which focuses on the general wellbeing of the body, to help the affected limb get back to its normal self.

7 days Light Therapy (in the hotel room, 30+ more minutes each day)
30 minutes or more of usage of the MTI Light Therapy reduces inflammation, increase micro-circulation, relax nerves and muscles, reduces pain transmission, accelerates healing, regenerates cells, and promotes cells activation.

7 nights Biophysical Treatment (5 hours each night while the patients are asleep)
MTI’s Biophysical Treatment is the outcome of 25 years of research and studies. It has been certified by the best Italian Universities, partners from both public and private teams. The Biophysical treatment acts on the roots of the disease, brings relief to the inflammatory condition, helps the cells regeneration, the oxygenation, the micro-circulation, and the lymphatic system.

Daily Report

DAY 1: Arrival at the Venice airport, greeted by her Patient Manager, followed by check-in at her Hotel in Vicenza. Briefing focused on the next days.

DAY 2: Rest day, in contact with her Patient Manager. The patient seems very anxious and worried; the Patient Manager meets her in the afternoon, to offer all the information and reassure her that she will be at her side at all times.

DAY 3: Morning pick-up by her Patient Manager, 1st visit with the Rheumatologist Professor, 1st infusion and 1st rehabilitation session. The physiotherapist works in a very gentle way because the patient is very afraid of being touched. The patient is very afraid of needles and syringes, but the nurse makes her feel very safe and comfortable. Lunch in Soave and visit the village with her patient manager.

DAY 4: Morning pick-up by her Patient Manager, 2nd infusion. In the afternoon rest in hotel. The patient is very emotional. She cries during the infusion telling her CRPS story. The patient manager keeps in contact till late in the evening to make sure she is well.

DAY 5: Morning pick-up by her Patient Manager, 3rd infusions, 2nd Rehabilitation session. The patient refers to some side effects, she feels achy.

DAY 6: Morning pick-up by her Patient Manager, 4th infusions, 2nd visit with Rheumatologist Professor

DAY 7: Morning pick-up by her Patient Manager, 3rd rehabilitation session. The patient is still very emotional, she cries during the session. She recognizes that moving her hand and fingers is easier compared to the first rehabilitation session. Visit of Verona center and lunch with her Patient manager. At this point the patient is happy that she could complete the treatment and visit Italy.

DAY 8: After lunch in hotel, pick-up by her Patient Manager, drop-off Venice airport to go back home.

Follow up

FEBRUARY 2023 (2 months after treatment): the patient is still very emotional, but she says she generally feels much better and she is following the exercise program she received in Italy by the physiotherapist doctor.

APRIL 2023: (4 months after Neridronate treatment) pain level is down to 6/10 (10/10 before the treatment) and she can move her right hand better. For the first time she was able to pick up her phone with her right hand! She is also taking some antidepressant medications to help with anxiety.

JUNE 2023: the patient is doing better, and she is attending a support group to manage pain and stress.

Conclusion

CRPS often comes with mental and emotional issues: dealing with such a great pain and inability causes a lot of stress and fear. It is important that all medical professionals and caregivers are ready to support the patients, are available to listen to them and may help to cope with the whole situation, not only with the “medical” issues. MTI patient managers are particularly focused on this aspect; they are always at the patient’s side, spending a long time together and building a lasting relationship with them. We consider this an important part of the process that helps to make the patient understood, accepted, and cared for.
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DISCLAIMER
This is not a medical case study; it merely describes each patient’s journey, and it omits all personal data. The people who redacted it are not doctors but all the facts reported are objective and represent the patient’s reality thanks to the information in our possession. The report is not part of any clinical trials. It was written to provide more information to patients who have made multiple requests for treatment outcomes of cases like theirs.