Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS-1) has puzzled doctors and therapists alike for decades. Recently a new form of treatment, Pain Exposure Physical Therapy (PEPT) has shown radical and swift improvement of symptoms and function.

Although disability in CRPS-1 reduces significantly after a maximum of 5 treatment sessions of PEPT, the mediating factors are not yet understood. This RCT explores if a reduction of pain-related fears is the mechanism behind this new treatment method. Surprisingly, a significant reduction of fear was observed in conventional and PEPT treatment; there must be other factors explaining the superior results of PEPT in CRPS.