rsd

To My Reflex Sympathetic Dysptrophy Page

This page is dedicated to my Brother who is

suffering from this terrible disorder.

This disorder not only causes physical problems

but mental ones as well. The medications you

take to relieve the pain can cause any number

of health problems. They can also cause

depression.Add to this the fact that you are

living with a rare disorder that isn't curable or

even controllable and it makes your life almost

unbearable. Suicidal thought's often arise.

I want very much to spread the word about this

disorder and make it as well known as cancer

or diabetes. Maybe by doing this someone will

find a cure for it and my brother can go back to

living a normal life.

WHAT IS R.S.D.

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy

is a syndrome of diffuse limb pain often burning in character and usually occurring after an injury or noxious stimulus. RSD is most often found in the hand and shoulder or in the knee and ankle but can be present in

any limb. The affected area undergoes various sensory, motor, autonomic or trophic changes.

Reflex is a term used to describe traumatic, medical, infectious or vascular response to primary exciting stimulus.

Sympathetic describes the neurologic pathways subserving the development and maintanence of these syndromes.

Dystrophy means that if these symptoms are untreated they will cause changes in the body, such as muscle atrophy, osteoporosis, glossy skin, brittle nails and more. RSD is thought of as prolonging the normal sympathetic response to injury. In other words, the sympathetic nervous system over fires. RSD is more likely to occur after relatively minor injuries, than after major injuries. In fact, most people with RSD

have suffered from some kind of localized tissue damage, which causes a reflex response from the sympathetic nervous system (that is pain or other sensations). So RSD can occur from an accident, from a response to surgery, from diseases such as

visceral diseases, neurologic diseases, infections, vascular diseases, musculoskeletal disorders and tumors, and it can also occur from unknown origins.

RSD is believed to occur in three stages, each with a distinct set of symptoms and characteristics. While there is some debate about when each stage engages, most evidence indicates that the earlier RSD is diagnosed and treated, the higher the chances are for reversal.