When my daughter developed CRPS, the doctors took a long time to finally diagnose it. How come it can't be diagnosed right away?

CRPS, or complex regional pain syndrome, was once considered rare in children so doctors often did not look for it. HOwever, now that it is known that children do get CRPS, the medical community is more aware. Unfortunately, what doctors knew about CRPS with adults can't always be transferred to children because they seem to a different presentation.

The problem with CRPS is that there are no definitive tests that can tell a doctor that this is what is happening. According to a recent study, most children who have CRPS end up being seen by anywhere from one to six specialists and that the average time to diagnosis is about three months. This is better than just 10 years ago, when it took as much as a year, on average, for the diagnosis.