BLB Solicitors - The Leading Chronic Pain & CRPS Solicitors
BLB Solicitors - The Leading Chronic Pain & CRPS Solicitors
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Andrew Atkinson
    • Bruce Dyer
    • Clare Lowes
    • David Gazzard
    • Mark Tawn
    • Richard Lowes
  • Pain Conditions
    • CRPS Compensation
    • Fibromyalgia Solicitors
    • Myofascial Pain Syndrome Compensation Claim
    • Somatic Symptom Disorder Compensation Claim
    • Neuropathic Pain Compensation Claim
    • Functional Neurological Disorder Compensation
    • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME) Compensation Claim
    • Chronic Pain Syndrome Compensation Claim
  • Unhappy With Your Solicitor?
  • Case Studies
    • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Home » What are the CRPS Budapest Criteria?

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Feb 15th, 2016
Budapest

What are the CRPS Budapest Criteria?

Last week a new client contacted me. During our discussion, she asked if I could explain to her what exactly were the Budapest Criteria, as her pain specialist had mentioned them, but she had not really understood their significance to her condition.

No Medical Tests

There are currently no medical tests for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a clinical diagnosis being based entirely upon an accepted set of guidelines. At their conference in 2004, the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) adopted a new set of guidelines for diagnosing CRPS, superseding guidelines which had been in place for the previous decade. As the conference took place in Budapest, the new guidelines were named the Budapest Criteria.

Signs and Symptoms

The Budapest Criteria differentiates between ‘signs’, which are seen or felt by the person carrying out the examination and ‘symptoms’ which are reported by the patient.

Symptoms

Under the Budapest Criteria, for a diagnosis of CRPS, a patient must have at least one symptom in three of the following four categories:

  1. Sensory: hyperaesthesia (an abnormal increase in sensitivity) and/or allodynia (pain caused by usually non-painful stimuli);
  2. Vasomotor: skin colour changes or temperature and/or skin colour changes between the limbs;
  3. Sudomotor/oedema: oedema (swelling) and/or sweating changes and/or sweating differences between the limbs;
  4. Motor/trophic: decreased range of motion and/or motor dysfunction (weakness, tremor, muscular spasm (dystonia)) and/or trophic changes (changes to the hair and/or nail and/or skin on the limb).

Signs

At the time of clinical examination, at least one sign must be present in two or more of the following categories:

  1. Sensory: hyperalgesia (to pinprick) and/or allodynia (to light touch and/or deep somatic (physical) pressure and/or joint movement);
  2. Vasomotor: temperature differences between the limb and/or skin colour changes and/or skin colour changes between the limb;
  3. Sudomotor/oedema: oedema and/or sweating changes and/or sweating differences between the limbs;
  4. Motor/trophic: decreased range of motion and/or motor dysfunction (ie weakness, tremor or muscle spasm) and/or trophic changes (hair and/or nail and/or skin changes).

As specialists, we understand CRPS. Speak today, informally and in complete confidence, to one of our specialist solicitors on 01225 462871 or email us. We are confident you will notice an immediate difference and a very different service from your current solicitors.

Finally, it is important that no other diagnosis can explain the signs and symptoms.

Whilst diagnosis is fundamental if appropriate treatment is to be obtained, a common diagnostic problem is that not all symptoms and signs are always present at the same time.

Find out more regarding the diagnosis of CRPS.

Find out more about CRPS.

See our CRPS Case Studies.

Search our extensive archive of articles covering every aspect of living with CRPS.

Richard Lowes
Make an Enquiry

Contact Us

Contact Form

Left Column

Right Column

Centre

 
Sending

Recent Articles

  • Meet your chronic pain solicitor: Andrew Atkinson
  • CRPS on the rise but 62% of the UK have never heard of it
  • New fibromyalgia diagnostic guidelines
  • Could spider venom hold the key to treating chronic pain?
  • Study suggests Botox can prolong the benefit of a nerve block for CRPS

Share this Article

Newsletter Sign-up

* indicates required

Legal Glossary

Find Out More

You may also like...

  • Feb 4th, 2016
    CRPS and Benefits
    Read Article
  • Feb 16th, 2016
    CRPS UK
    Read Article
View All Related Articles

Get in Touch Today

Contact Form

Left Column

Right Column

Centre

 
Sending

1 Edgar Buildings,
George Street,
Bath, BA1 2DU

01225 462871 01225 445060
Authorised & Regulated by Solicitors Regulation Authority (No. 636644).
©2022 BLB Solicitors  |  Privacy & Terms