CONDITION: Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSDS)

How does RSDS develop?
RSDS is a nerve disorder that occurs at the site of an injury (most often to the arms or legs). The disorder is unique in that it simultaneously affects the nerves, skin, muscles, blood vessels and bones. And it spreads like wild fire. For example, it may start in the foot, move its way up to the knee, in the back, down the other leg and up into the arms. Although it often occurs after injuries from high-velocity impacts, it may also occur without apparent injury. In some cases, the cause of RSDS is unknown. Symptoms may also appear after a surgery. Additional causes include pressure on a nerve, infection, cancer , neck disorders, stroke and heart attack. These conditions can cause pain, which sets off the sympathetic reflex causing RSDS symptoms.

RSDS progresses in three stages over the course of several months to several years. Stage I, the acute phase, involves a burning or aching pain that is exacerbated by touch, emotional upset or active/passive movement. The severity of the pain is usually disproportionate to what would be expected from the original injury. The involved limb may fill with fluid and feel either cold or hot. A bone scan may show an increase of radioactive phosphate in the affected area, which indicates an increased uptake of red blood cells.

In Stage II, the dystrophic phase, pain is constant and exacerbated by any kind of sensory input. Touching, vibrating, moving, even blowing on the affected limb can cause excruciating pain. Edema (when tissues fill with fluid) is more likely to affect the limb, and it may feel cool yet sweaty. A bone scan at this stage will reveal a decreased uptake of red blood cells. X-rays show the initial stages of osteoporosis.

During Stage III, the atrophic phase, irreversible damage occurs to the affected limb or extremity. Limited movement causes the affected limb to contract, and the skin becomes cool, thin and shiny. Scar tissue makes it nearly impossible to move the joint, allowing arthritis and osteoporosis to set in, which eventually leads to a permanently frozen or contracted limb. Although pain subsides at this point, the limb is now essentially useless. Unfortunately, the process may repeat itself in other parts of the body.

What are the symptoms of RSDS?
People with RSDS are often in a state of panic, anxious and wishing desperately for anything that will alleviate their pain. Although symptoms of RSDS vary in severity and duration, one visible sign is warm, shiny red skin that later becomes cool and bluish near the site of the injury. The pain reported by patients is out of proportion to the severity of the injury, and gets worse rather than better over time. The joints eventually become stiff from disuse, and the skin, muscles and bone atrophy.

Conventional medical treatments may help relieve the symptoms of RSDS, but they do not address the root of the problem. By strengthening structural weaknesses in the body, as natural medicine treatments like Prolotherapy do, pain associated with RSDS may be alleviated permanently.

Discover why we believe that natural medicine treatments are the best way to treat RSDS.