CRPS Type 2 is defined by damage to a specific nerve.

• A. CRPS Type 1 results from soft tissue injury without nerve injury
• B. CRPS Type 2 results from damage to a specific nerve
• C. CRPS Type 3 has an undefined pathology
• D. CRPS Type 0 is not a recognized category

Answer: (B)

CRPS is a chronic pain condition that follows injury and involves sensory, autonomic, and inflammatory changes in the affected limb. The key distinction among CRPS types is whether there is a demonstrable nerve injury. In CRPS Type II, there is damage to a peripheral nerve, and the pain and other symptoms typically follow the distribution of that nerve, a historical description called causalgia. This is what sets Type II apart from Type I, where similar symptoms occur but without identifiable nerve injury. Other proposed categories exist less consistently in clinical practice, but Type II is defined specifically by injury to a particular nerve, which is why it’s described as such.