Comparison of the Two Impairment Classes Publicized by the American Medical Association in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Patients / 대한통증학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is not regarded as an impairment in Korea. Guidelines for rating this impairment are under development by the Korean Academy of Medical Science based on that of the American Medical Association (AMA). However, no studies have been done on the validity of these guidelines in Korea. We therefore evaluated the validity of these guidelines using the criteria from the chapter on the central and peripheral nervous system (CNS-PNS class) and the worksheet for calculating total pain-related impairment score (TPRIS class). METHODS: TPRIS and CNS-PNS classes were calculated through interviews of 28 CRPS patients. The correlation between the two classes was calculated. RESULTS: TPRIS class and CNS-PNS class were well correlated (r = 0.593, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Both TPRIS or CNS-PNS classes were well correlated and could be used for evaluation of impairment. However, the CNS-PNS class is simpler and quicker to complete.