Face to Face Support Groups

CRPS Support Groups

Meeting with other people who are affected by Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) can help you to remember that you are not on your own going through this difficult journey. Whilst they can't promise to make your pain go away, joining a CRPS support group provides the opportunity to hear others' experiences and advice on how to alleviate some of the symptoms, learn more about the condition, and make friends who truly understand what you are going through.

Burning Nights CRPS Support began holding regular CRPS support groups in Manchester City Centre back in March 2016, with the aim of setting up other support groups in other areas of the UK. Our first support group was held on Friday 4th March 2016 at 3pm at the Manchester City Centre offices of Irwin Mitchell solicitors and approximately every 2-3 months after that. We also set up further CRPS support groups in Central London and the Bristol and Bath area, which ran ad hoc.

Living with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) can make you feel as if no-one knows or understands how you feel, as you are surrounded by friends and family who don’t have the condition. Joining a face to face support group for CRPS could help to change those feelings of being alone, isolated and vulnerable.

One of the ways in which those who suffer with CRPS find help and relief is when by meeting up with others in the same situation and sharing similar experiences. A peer support group provides an opportunity for those meetings to occur.

Regular, local CRPS support groups can offer help and support to CRPS sufferers as well as to loved ones, friends and carers. Where there are enough non-sufferers present, there is the possibility to divide the group into sufferers and non-sufferers to allow people to be able to chat to and get help from others in the same situation as themselves.

Occasionally, we might have a professional speaker for around 30-40 minutes at the start of the group and the remaining time then used to chat between everyone. If there are any specific speakers that you would like to hear from, certain topics you would like to cover, or activities that you might be interested in, please get in touch.

Where Are Our Support Groups?

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Burning Nights CRPS Support suspended in-person support groups and has since held regular online support groups through Zoom.

Online support groups enable you to access many of the benefits of an in-person support group from the comfort of your own home. We understand that Complex Regional Pain Syndrome is unpredictable, so our online support groups provide some flexibility and are especially useful for those who might have struggled to get to one of our in-person groups.

Update for Future CRPS Support Groups

You can find the details of upcoming support groups on our Events page.

If you’re interested in starting a CRPS support group in your area, please contact us and we could be able to advertise to our community who might be nearby. Where possible, Victoria, our founder, will come along to your first support group and offer advice and assistance with running a group and the relevant paperwork required.

In the future, we would like to be able to offer in-person support groups again and return to Manchester, Bristol and Bath, and Central London, as well as to additional locations, such as Gatwick, Leicester and Sheffield.

If you would be interested in joining any of the above CRPS support groups, please contact us and tell us which are you would be interested in. We need approximately 5-10 or more people interested to make the group viable to run. If you’re thinking of starting a CRPS support group in your area, please contact us and we could be able to advertise to members of our community who might be nearby. Where possible, Victoria, our founder, will come along to your first support group and offer advice and assistance with running a group and the relevant paperwork required.

The Aims of Our Support Groups

As a charity, we have several aims for our support groups, both in-person and online.

• To enable CRPS patients, carers, families and friends to meet on a regular, monthly basis to provide mutual support.
• To enable those affected by CRPS to meet others in a similar situation and to share their feelings and experiences.
• To provide an opportunity to learn more and understand about the condition, so sufferers can educate themselves, family members, friends, work colleagues about CRPS.
• To help provide emotional support and coping mechanisms.
• To draw strength from other CRPS patients’ experiences or those affected by the condition.
• To share information around care, healing and various treatments available.
• To build a social network.
• To improve the quality of life living or dealing with CRPS.
• To try to reduce isolation and vulnerability that comes with living with a chronic pain condition such as CRPS.

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Interested in Joining Our Next Support Group?

You can find the details of upcoming support groups on our Events page.

If you are interested in finding out more about our support groups, you are welcome to contact us.

• Email: support@burningnightscrps.org 
• Phone: 01663 795055 (UK)
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/chronicpainCRPS
• Twitter: @BNightsCRPS

Disclaimer

We want to provide support to all those living with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and to help you cope better with your condition. These support groups are there so that you can share your problems, feelings, ideas and information with others who are undergoing similar experiences. However, we cannot solve all of your problems, nor are these groups there to replace the services of a pain specialist, doctor or other health care professionals that may be involved in your care.

A support group is a good resource. Burning Nights CRPS Support is a registered UK charity run almost entirely by dedicated volunteers, many of whom live with CRPS themselves. We cannot provide medical, legal or welfare benefits advice. Any information or advice provided during a support group is not a substitute for advice from a trained professional. Do not make any changes to your medication or pain management regime without first speaking to your doctor, GP or specialist consultant.

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LET’S SPREAD AWARENESS OF CRPS!