Empowering patients with CRPS: the Story of Liora Kakoon

“The pain was not normal. I could faint from just a small pat on the leg. I couldn’t touch it, cover it, or wear shoes. I chose amputation to regain control of my life.  

 

After the amputation, I came to Reuth for rehabilitation. It was basically learning to walk. At first, I had to learn to put pressure on the stump so that I could get a prosthesis. I did physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and worked out in their gym. The first time I stood on my prosthesis and took the first step was a dream come true. The truth is I thought that I would never walk again. 

 

Throughout all these years of suffering, my dream was the sea. If I was ever going to make it to the beach and step onto the sand, I would know that I have crossed over the line from one type of life to another. That’s the first thing I did when I left Reuth,” Liora Kakoon, suffered from CRPS for 7 years

 

 

Painless stimuli as trivial as wind, water, or the touch of clothing can be so agonizing for people with CRPS (Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome) that they are forced to structure their lives around preventing as many as possible of such painful situations. As a result, many avoid the touch of their loved ones, forsake their hobbies, traveling, working, and doing a myriad of other things that once brought them meaning and joy.

CRPS is characterized by severe and long-lasting pain in the arm or leg, usually following an injury, that is entirely out of proportion with the level of the original injury. While the exact causes of CRPS are unknown and a definitive cure has not yet been found, the pain institute at Reuth is highly experienced in successfully alleviating the condition’s symptoms and, by doing so, enabling the patients to return to being fully present in their families and communities.

At the pain institute, each patient benefits from a highly individualized, multidisciplinary treatment plan that includes physiotherapy, occupational therapy, electrotherapy, biofeedback, psychological support, and more. Our professional team, headed by Dr. Livshitz, is continuously adapting treatment methodologies in accordance with the latest medical research and innovation, making the pain institute at Reuth the premier facility for treating chronic pain in Israel.