Parner
In the Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery (www.JFAS.org), Volume 53, Number 3, May/June 2014, in an article titled “Incidence of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome after Foot and Ankle Surgery,” researchers from Scotland reported that from a limited study there was a higher incidence CRPS in those patients having foot surgery who are middle-aged females and with a history of anxiety or depression. They recommend that these individuals be carefully counseled on the risk of developing CRPS. CRPS is an uncommon complication in foot and ankle surgery and is characterized by severe pain, skin changes, and swelling. This uncommon complication should not necessarily discourage elective foot and ankle surgery in this sub-set of females. The development of this condition can occur in any such surgery but it is known that there is an increased risk of developing CRPS if the surgeon (podiatrist) is careless in a number of ways, including indiscriminate cutting of nerves or cutting of nerves when none should be cut at all.