Dundee-Crown Student Releases Song, Video to Raise Awareness on Chronic Pain

Photo Credit: Screenshot of YouTube video

Dundee Crown High School freshman, Danielle Stratton, wrote, recorded and released a song on iTunes and a music video on YouTube to create awareness for RSD/CRPS. The song is about her struggle with chronic pain over the last four years.

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), also known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), is a chronic pain disorder attributed to a malfunction of part of the nervous system. The pain is characterized as constant, extremely intense, and out of proportion to the original injury.

“My foot started to hurt when I was in cheerleading in fifth grade,” said Stratton. “The pain got progressively worse over the next four years, but all x-rays, MRIs and even surgery showed there was nothing wrong with my foot.” After speaking with a family friend who was diagnosed with CRPS, Stratton finally found a doctor who could give her a diagnosis and treatment plan, but her struggle to overcome the pain is still ongoing.

Early diagnosis and treatment are key to avoiding disabling pain, but this syndrome is consistently under-diagnosed and under-treated. Left untreated, the symptoms can become chronic, spread to other parts of the body and persist for years. The severity of the pain and the disruption of life can lead to depression and anxiety, especially if it goes undiagnosed and untreated.

“When I was diagnosed with CRPS, we didn’t know much about it,” said Stratton. “It’s not a condition that most people have heard of, and no one can tell by looking at me that I’m in so much pain. I wrote this song and made a music video to help create awareness because there are other people out there that have this mysterious, constant pain who need help.” November is RSD/CRPS Awareness month.

November 3rd has been declared Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Awareness Day in the state of Illinois. On this day, in conjunction with the Color the World Orange movement, CRPS patients and supporters will be wearing orange and holding events to spread awareness and raise funds to support research (https://www.facebook.com/ColorTheWorldOrange).

Stratton’s song, titled Kryptonite , is available for download on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/album/id930564077) and the music video can be seen on Youtube at http://youtu.be/YVoQczI0gxY. To help raise funds and create awareness for RSD/CRPS, watch the video, download the song and share on social media. To donate, visit www.rsds.org.

Source: Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD)/Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) press release