The extremity may take on a claw like appearance. There are many diagnostic tests which can rule RSD in or out. Between stages the flow is similar to normal skin blood flow. It is the most sensitive test for RSD since it addresses itself purely to temperature differences. To appropriately manage a case, a thermogram should be performed within three months of the trauma.
Early diagnosis is the single most important factor in determining the outcome of treatment.
The danger of using thermography is the number of false positives in patients with old injuries to their sympathetic nerve to the skin with no clinical pain being present. When claimants appear to medical appointment and depositions with immobile extremities yet there is no atrophy or swelling, surveillance is necessary. Ask the doctors to rule out alternate causation such as malignancy, arthritis, inflammatory disorders or infection. Ensure that claimants with RSD diagnoses are treated by doctors familiar with diagnosing and treating this disorder.