What is Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome?
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSDS) is a somewhat hard-to-pin-down chronic nerve disorder associated with injured soft tissue (such as a nerve) that doesn’t heal right. More commonly known today as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), RSDS usually affects the extremities but symptoms can show up just about anywhere in the body. The pain and difficulties that arise due to RSDS may or may not be in proportion to the magnitude of the injury. Then again, RSDS can develop without a “precipitating event.” Doctors used to describe RSDS as progressing in stages. But the course of the disease seems to be rather unpredictable and many symptoms appear and disappear at different times, so the stages model is no longer seen as accurate. RSDS often progresses at different speeds in different patients. It is believed to occur after 1-2% of all bone fractures and 2-5% of all nerve injuries. Minor injuries, such as an ankle sprain or a fall, have been shown to bring on RSDS. Because this ail
