1. < Stroke & Cerebrovascular Diseases
Profile picture for wildeharpe

How to manage thalamic pain syndrome?

Posted by wildeharpe @wildeharpe, Jun 26, 2024

I have a thalamic stroke a year ago. I experience pain, stiffness and pressure on my left side from trunk, to upper left leg and down my left arm. My elbow burns and my balance is off. I walk with a limp due to the sensation of rigidity. Does anyone else have similar symptoms?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Stroke & Cerebrovascular Diseases Support Group.

Profile picture for cpsp50
cpsp50 | @cpsp50 | 5 days ago
In reply to @bebold "I have Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). There I lots of info and several co-sufferers here...." + (show)
Profile picture for BeBold @bebold

I have Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). There I lots of info and several co-sufferers here. What interesting is its very clear everywhere you read, that crps can result from a stroke. And your symptoms of extreme burning, discoloration, etc are the same as CRPS I've never heard of "Thalamic Pain Syndrome." I wonder is it is really the same thing just renamed to make these cases related to stroke more real. CRPS is a still little known ad under diagnosed. Having it an officially connected might be fewer drs will say its all in your head. Do some research here and elsewhere on CRPS.

Jump to this post

@bebold Hi, Ai has an explanation to show that they are very different items. I'm sorry to say that your post isn't really that helpful given it's factually incorrect.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and Central Post-Stroke Pain (CPSP) are both debilitating chronic pain conditions, but they have entirely different origins, mechanisms, and diagnostic criteria. While CRPS typically stems from peripheral trauma or immobilization and is characterized by severe autonomic and inflammatory limb changes, CPSP is a central neuropathic pain disorder caused directly by a stroke lesion inside the central nervous system.
Notably, a stroke can sometimes trigger post-stroke CRPS (historically called shoulder-hand syndrome) in a weak limb, but this is a separate secondary complication from CPSP

Thalamic Pain Syndrome is a slightly outdated term when it was believed that only strokes in the Thalamus led to this pain developing. However it is now known this isn't the case.
The thalamus is the hub where 6 of our 7 main senses pass through prior to being passed on to other areas of the brain for interpretation.

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.