Amy Wenzel
Project: What are the health-care experiences of women and girls with complex regional pain syndrome?
“I’m passionate about improving patient experiences in part because of my own negative experiences as a child with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), feeling dismissed or disbelieved. ... Women and girls with CRPS can have particularly negative experiences with the health-care system. ... By understanding these experiences and how they could be improved — for example, through additional support, training for health-care providers or information for patients — we can help make care more compassionate.”
Summary: When I was a young girl in the hospital in a lot of pain and unable to walk, a doctor told me there was nothing wrong with me. A few months later, I was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). My life with CRPS drives my research on this topic and my desire to ensure other women and girls with CRPS get more compassionate care.
Women and girls often report that health-care providers dismiss their pain, which can make it worse and hurt their mental health. Two things make patients with CRPS more likely to be dismissed: most are women and CRPS cannot be seen on tests. Some health-care staff also think that mental health problems cause CRPS, and assume a patient’s pain is "all in her head." That can make them more likely to say dismissive things. Patients may have numerous bad experiences before they get a diagnosis.
This project aims to find out more about what it is like for women and girls with CRPS who seek treatment for their pain by analyzing all the research on this topic. We will share our findings and tips with health-care providers such as doctors, nurses and physical therapists, to aid their understanding of patients with CRPS and help them do better. We will publish in academic journals, attend conferences and create infographics for patients.
Amy Wenzel was supervised by Dr. Lesley Pritchard in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta, and her summer studentship was funded by the Alberta Women’s Health Foundation and Alberta Innovates. She just graduated with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and is pursuing a master’s in physical therapy at the U of A.
Read more about WCHRI’s training awards for students at all levels and generous grants for researchers. See the rest of the 2026 summer studentship recipients here.
