Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a multimechanism syndrome, and the most prominent mechanism(s) of CRPS should be targeted by drugs in an individually tailored manner.

Pharmacotherapeutic treatment options for CRPS can be categorised into four groups based on the mechanisms they target: (1) inflammation; (2) peripheral and central sensitisation; (3) vasomotor disturbances; and; (4) motor disturbances.

Increasing knowledge about underlying mechanisms and diagnostic tests to differentiate between CRPS mechanisms will help to shift the symptom-based selection of therapy into a mechanism-based selection of therapy.