The book presents a new classification for the different stages of RSD and features the most comprehensive coverage of the literature on RSD and its related aspects. Other topics considered include thermographic methods for the diagnosis of RSD, the role of ACTH in the management of chronic pain, and comparisons between the effects of ACTH and those of corticosteroids. The mechanism of development of RSD is clarified through an extensive collection of drawings and anatomical pictures. Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Prevention and Management is an important reference for neurologists, neurosurgeons, physiatrists, thermographers, anesthesiologists, orthopedic surgeons, interns, and students interested in the topic. It is the extreme prototype of disabling chronic pain.
Chronic pain is the type of pain that persists long after the original injury.
Obviously, recurrent attacks of acute pain due to new and repetitive damages from cancer or recurrent heart attack cannot be considered chronic pain even though they may be of longstanding duration. The chronic pain of RSD is typified by a marked emotional connotation . It is invariably accompanied by anxiety, phobia, and neuropsychological disturbances in the form of irritability, agitation, and depression . Historically, chronic pain has been the subject of clinical debate among physicans for a few centuries. Greek philosophers considered the brain as the site of pain perception.