RSD is one of the most confusing diagnoses both for the patient and for the medical team. Much remains unknown about RSD, but there is a greater understanding of RSD than ever before. We hope that the added focus on this misunderstood diagnosis will help to improve patient care. The key criteria are pain beyond what is expected for the injury, as well as other signs of nerve dysfunction in the affected area. RSD is a neuropathic pain condition which is not caused by ongoing damage to the body, but rather is caused by abnormal functioning of the nervous system.
Neuropathic pain feels different than the aches of everyday life.
Commonly the pain will have a burning, tingling, and electric feeling, constant deep aches and sudden jabs of shooting pain. The patient may have swelling and sweating changes, dry, flaky or shiny skin, local growth hair loss, and brittle or slow growth nails. Muscles in the area may also become weak and stiff, and jerks and twitches may occur in the affected hand or foot. Unfortunately, although the treatment of RSD can lead to significant improvement, it usually does not produce a complete cure. It is not rare for the symptoms to spread beyond the initially injured limb to involve another limb.