Presentation summary

Introduction :
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a disabling and complex condition. Conventional treatments have their limits. We had the opportunity to provide acupuncture treatments within a multidisciplinary team (MDT) inthe physical medicine and rehabilitation department in Delta Hospital in Brussels, in order to observe the synergistic effect between acupuncture and conventional treatments on complex pains.

Method :
This retrospective study was conducted on a small group of 6 patients with intractable pain from 2023 to 2025,diagnosed with CRPS according to the Budapest criteria. They received acupuncture in combination without patient rehabilitation in Delta Hospital. The acupuncture methods included body acupuncture, scalpacupuncture, and auricular acupuncture. The rehabilitation program consisted of physiotherapy, occupational therapy and psychotherapy. Pain was evaluated using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).

Results :
After treatment, 4 patients experienced improvements in pain and CRPS symptoms. The average reduction inthe VAS score for the 4 patients was 4 out of 10.

Conclusion :
The integration of acupuncture into the multidisciplinary management of CRPS appeared to help improvesymptoms more effectively and quickly. As a complementary therapy, acupuncture might provide additional benefits in treating complex pains in a hospital setting.