Allsup Observes Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Awareness Month in November
Belleville, Ill (PRWEB) November 12, 2014 -- Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain condition that affects the arms, legs, hands or feet, usually after an injury or trauma. In advanced stages, CRPS can make it impossible to continue working, according to Allsup, a nationwide Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) representation company. CRPS has also been referred to as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) or causalgia.
Allsup joins with organizations, such as Hope Over Pain, to observe CRPS Awareness Month in November to increase understanding of the often debilitating condition related to the peripheral and central nervous systems.
Hope Over Pain is hosting a CRPS/RSD Awareness & Education Seminar in San Antonio Nov. 15, from noon to 5 p.m. The event will cover the latest CRPS treatment options including spinal cord stimulation technology, massage therapy and acupuncture. Allsup will provide SSDI information to participants.
“Causalgia scores a 40 on the McGill Pain Index [a tool clinicians use to measure pain],” said Hope Over Pain executive director Samantha Adcock. “Arthritis pain ranks about 18, non-terminal cancer pain 24 and chronic back pain is at 26. Natural labor and delivery of a first child is about 35. With a 40, the pain associated with amputating a digit comes closest to matching the intensity of CRPS/RDS.”
The average age of affected individuals is about 40, striking many during their peak earning years. According to the National Institutes of Health, people with CRPS may develop depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder, all of which heighten the perception of pain and make rehabilitation more difficult.
For those who cannot continue working due to CRPS, Social Security Disability Insurance is an important resource. However, The Social Security Administration (SSA) denies more than two-thirds of initial SSDI applications, and appeals can take several months or years. Due to the current claims backlog, the SSA estimates that claimants will wait more than a year―415 days―for an appeals hearing. The wait can vary depending on where an applicant lives. See Allsup’s state-by-state disability backlog ranking here.
Receiving a disability evaluation to determine SSDI eligibility is the first step toward obtaining the disability benefits former workers paid for during their careers. Individuals can request a complimentary evaluation at Expert.Allsup.com or by calling (888) 841-2126.
For details and to register for the CRPS/RSD Awareness & Education Seminar in San Antonio, click here.
“We did not choose to have a chronic pain condition,” said Adcock. “But we can choose how to live with it.”
ABOUT HOPE OVER PAIN
Hope Over Pain is an all-volunteer organization comprised of individuals whose lives have been impacted by one or more debilitating chronic pain conditions. It promotes public and professional awareness and education; provides programs and services to empower people with chronic and intractable pain conditions and their families as they strive to move their lives forward. Its efforts help bridge the gap between what patients need and what they are able to afford, by providing direct assistance to patients. Our mission is to reduce and eliminate barriers preventing patients with chronic and intractable pain conditions such as complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) formerly known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD); fibromyalgia, lupus, multiple sclerosis (MS) and other debilitating pain conditions, from achieving effective pain management.
ABOUT ALLSUP
Allsup is a nationwide provider of Social Security disability, veterans disability appeal and Medicare services for individuals, employers and insurance carriers. Allsup professionals deliver specialized services supporting people with disabilities and seniors so they may lead lives that are as financially secure and as healthy as possible. Founded in 1984, the company is based in Belleville, Illinois, near St. Louis. For more information, go to Allsup.com or visit Allsup on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Allsupinc.
Tai Venuti, Allsup, http://expert.allsup.com, +1 (618) 236-8573, [email protected]
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