Significance Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a poorly understood painful condition, which typically arises after distal limb trauma; 20% of patients may develop lifelong severe incessant pain with few therapeutic options. In this study, we show that immunoglobulin G autoantibodies from patients with severe, persistent CRPS, on transfer to hind paw-injured mice, elicit important features of the clinical condition and profound glial activation in pain-related brain regions. Blockade of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1) both prevents and reverses these changes. Our findings suggest that antibody-mediated autoimmunity contributes to the development of severe CRPS after injury and that blockade of IL-1 actions may be an attractive therapeutic prospect. Investigation of autoantibody contribution to other unexplained chronic pain syndromes seems warranted.