Reflex sympathetic dystrophy, or RSD, is also known as complex regional pain syndrome. It is a painful condition that can affect muscles, bones, and skin and possibly gets worse over time. It most often occurs after a person has experienced an injury or a surgery but often there is no distinct reason for it. RSD can go away only to come back in a new area of the body years later.
Theories/Speculation
Although the exact cause of RSD in unknown the theory is that control of the various nervous systems of the body are changed through an injury or a surgery. Some of the causes connected to RSD that have been documented are heart attacks and heart disease, infections, paralysis on one side of the person, spinal cord problems, traumas, surgeries and repetitive motion disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome. But in as many as 20% of the RSD patients the cause cannot be pinpointed. RSD usually starts in a limb that has been injured, such as a broken leg, and can spread eventually to other limbs.
Time Frame
RSD symptoms normally have a three stage progression. The acute stage occurs in the first one to three months of the ailment. The dystrophic stage comes after that and generally lasts from three to six months. The last stage is known as the atrophic stage and comes six months out from the onset of the condition.
Types
The signs and symptoms of RSD come in different types. If the nervous system is involved then there will be burning pain, the skin will change color to red or even blue, and the skin will feel hot or cold. The person will also be quite sensitive to the touch. The pain can come and go or always be there. If the immune system is involved with RSD then the pain will be in the joints, with swelling and redness also symptoms. Many infections are a possibility. When the motor system is involved there will be muscle spasms and tremors, weak limbs, and people will have a hard time just initiating movement.
Identification
RSD is a very difficult condition to diagnose. Other diseases must be ruled out that produce like symptoms. A patient's medical history will be considered and a neurological exam will be done, with the doctor especially anxious to see if strong pain is produced by mild stimulations. A battery of tests such as bone scans, MRI scans and blood tests will be utilized to help make a diagnosis of RSD.
Prevention/Solution
Those with pain symptoms of RSD will be given medications such as anti-inflammatory drugs and morphine to deal with them. Meds to alleviate muscle cramps and muscle stiffness can be prescribed. Physical therapy is an option as are nerve blocks that are designed to block the transmission of pain signals. In extreme cases of RSD surgery is a possible answer. A device called a TENS unit can be used to send low impulses to the spinal cord to short-circuit pain signals.
Tags: system involved, injury surgery, pain signals, skin will, spinal cord