An initiative to turn the world orange in early November is working to bring awareness to a rare medical condition that causes chronic pain.
The annual “Color the World Orange” event, pegged for Nov. 6, was designed to bring awareness to complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), also known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy. CRPS presents as a chronic pain that typically affects an arm or leg, according to information on Mayoclinic.org.
The condition can be caused by injury, stroke, surgery or heart attack, according to Mayoclinic.org.
The National Organization for Rare Disorders considers the disease rare, which means that there are fewer than 200,000 cases in the U.S.
The Color the World Orange initiative looks for individuals or businesses to get involved in recognizing the condition on Nov. 6. The event is held on the first Monday of November. This is the fourth year the initiative has happened, according to information from the group.
Individuals can get involved by handing out orange ribbons, wearing orange or posting photos wearing orange at the hashtag #CRPSORANGEDAY.
Individuals can also hand out literature to local businesses or hang signage, along with spreading the word to media.
In 2016, nearly 50 buildings, bridges and landmarks across Canada and the U.S. and the U.K. and Australia were lit orange for the event, according to literature from the World Orange Day website at colortheworldorange.com.