After ankle surgery, mother battles chronic pain syndrome for nearly a year

Amber Meade twisted her ankle, required bone-shaving surgery, and later endured worsening pain when a screw pressed on a nerve. A second operation moved the screw and performed nerve decompression, yet the agony persisted, forcing her to quit her surgical-assistant job and limit family activities. Nearly a year after the injury, a physician suggested she might have complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), a rare, incurable chronic pain disorder that is difficult to diagnose.

Dr. Rohan Jotwani explained that CRPS can follow nerve injury and lacks a definitive test, relying on clinical signs such as extreme pain from light touch. Meade began a regimen that includes physical therapy with Dr. Anita Davis at Brooks Rehabilitation, medication, and ketamine infusions every few months, which provide temporary relief and enable her to improve strength and daily function.