Thermography and CRPS: A Physician’s Perspective
For decades, physicians evaluating Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy/Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (RSD/CRPS) have faced the same frustration: patients in severe, life-altering pain whose standard tests look unremarkable. CRPS is in large part a disorder of the autonomic nervous system – and autonomic dysfunction expresses itself physiologically, in the way an affected limb regulates temperature and blood flow.
That is the layer thermography images. TDI’s founder, Philip Getson, D.O., evaluated CRPS patients throughout his career as a New Jersey physician, lectured on the condition nationally and internationally, and served on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Association of America. The original physician-opinion article that appeared on this page reflected that era of his clinical writing; we have retired it while we review legacy material against our current editorial standards, and this summary takes its place.
What remains true, and worth saying carefully: skin temperature asymmetry between limbs is among the clinical signs physicians consider when evaluating CRPS, and thermography documents that asymmetry objectively – visually and numerically, under controlled conditions, in a form that can be repeated over time. For patients navigating a difficult diagnostic journey, that documentation can be a meaningful addition to the clinical picture their treating physicians are building.
It is an addition, not an answer: thermography does not by itself diagnose CRPS or any pain condition, and neurological examination, imaging, and the judgment of your treating physician remain the foundation of any workup. If you are living with severe, persistent, or unexplained pain, please be under a physician’s care – and if thermographic documentation would help, this has been our specialty since 1982.
Learn more about Pain Evaluation at TDI or call 856-596-5834.
