The initial injury that brings on RSD may be a sprain, dislocation, fracture, crush injury, laceration or amputation. The syndrome can also occur from a surgical procedure, an IM injection, Multiple Sclerosis, diabetic neuropathy, a stroke or a myocardial infarction.
Patients describe their pain as being constant, burning aching and throbbing.
The pain can begin days to weeks after the initial incident, and continues beyond the time normally expected for the injury to heal. The pain doesn't remain within the area of a specific peripheral nerve or tissue and will continue to advance proximally without treatment. Tissue Changes . Early in the course the affected area is warm, erythematous and dry. Later the skin becomes cool, cyanotic and moist.