Drug therapy

Drug treatment is also an integral part of standard therapy for Sudeck’s disease. Frequently administered: These medications are mainly used in the early stages. Corticoids have a decongestant, anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effect and thus often lead to a rapid improvement in symptoms.

The study situation here is not entirely clear, but very often there is a rapid improvement in symptoms and mobility increases.

Bisphosphonates such as pamidronate, whose efficacy has been proven particularly in Sudeck’s disease after fractures.
Corticoids in tablet form
Prednisolone

Tricyclic antidepressants and non-opioid analgesics, so-called NSAIDs (Non Steroidal Antiinflammatory Drugs), are also used for pain therapy. Frequently used non-opioid analgesics include ibuprofen, diclofenac and metamizole.
For more severe pain, opioids such as morphine are used.
The positive effect of ketamine, an anaesthetic and painkiller, has also been proven many times.
Its use is only recommended if other measures are not sufficient, as the therapy is costly and sometimes associated with serious side effects.
Calcitonin is used in the treatment of osteoporosis and can have a positive influence on the course of the disease.
In some cases, so-called rheologicals such as Haes, which are supposed to change the flow properties of the blood, are used to improve blood circulation.
Locally, steroid-containing ointments or DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) ointments can be used to help with localized pain.
Less common, but among the most effective, are invasive procedures such as Ganglionic Opioid Analgesia or Epidural Spinal Cord Stimulation. In some cases, blocking of the sympathetic stellate ganglion (vegetative nerve node) is indicated because, like the sympathetic nerve, it can prevent healing as described. This therapy should at best be administered in the first six months of the disease, as only then the rates of improvement increase significantly. Acupuncture treatment or autogenic training can also help to alleviate the symptoms.