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Unusual Injuries - Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome

One of the more misunderstood and sometimes misdiagnosed medical issues involved in injury cases is what is known in the medical literature as reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome. If properly diagnosed, this explains many otherwise difficult to understand levels of pain.

The symptoms of reflex sympathetic dystrophy are frequently extreme in nature and sometimes unusual. Often pain will start in one of the extremities and then move to other areas of the body. The syndrome can be from blunt force trauma and sometimes even from minor surgery.

Treatment for RSDS can be extensive and expensive. It can involve long term pain management modalities. If the diagnosis is made early enough and treatment started immediately, sometime the RSDS can be treated effectively. Otherwise the symptoms can linger.

RSDS has been variously known as causalgia, Sudeck’s atrophy, traumatic angiospasm, traumatic vasospasm, reflex neurovascular dystrophy as well as many other names. Regardless of the name, the injury involves the sympathetic nervous system.

Most experts agree there are various stages of RSD. For example, in the early stage there can be severe burning feelings in the area of the injury. This can sometimes cure itself spontaneously. There can be swelling at the site of the injury, muscle spasm, stiffness, vasodilation, increased hair growth, increased growth of fingernails and/or toenails. This stage usually lasts approximately up top 3 months and the best time to treat the symptoms is in the first several weeks. A subsequent stage might include more severe pain that become diffuse, edema that becomes more significant, brittle fingernails and/or  toenails, thickness of joints, loss of muscle tone, vasoconstriction, cool temperature at the site of the injury, excessive perspiration. This stage usually starts several months after the initial injury and lasts for several months. After the initial several months, a subsequent stage might involve atrophy, weak joints, decreased temperatures in the extremities, cyanotic color, brittle fingernails and/or toenails, abnormal growth of hair, lack of perspiration. This stage can last indefinitely. Some experts maintain there is yet another stage of RSDS which essentially is an untreatable condition.

Various physicians suggest that there can side issues that can be present with the RSDS diagnosis. These could include heart issues, joint issues, spinal cord issues brain issues and multiple sclerosis. In any event, if the diagnosis is not made early enough and treatment started promptly, curing RSDS becomes much more problematical. Early treatment might include elevating the limb to retard any swelling, application of ice water and sometimes hot baths. The more serious conditions might be treated by the use of nerve stimulator, medications, biofeedback, physical therapy, nerve injections and application of analgesics.

The problem with RSDS is that it can lead to a lifetime of pain that at times seems unexplainable. Some physicians totally misunderstand the diagnosis and are quick to just suggest that the problem is psychological. When severe, RSDS can effect virtually every facet of a client’s life. It can be almost impossible to function at times.

It is important to understand, however, that a defendant takes the plaintiff in the medical condition they find themselves in as a result of an accident, regardless of the seriousness of the accident. Just because one plaintiff may be more susceptible to a more serious injury than another person as a result of an accident, that fact does not mitigate the responsibility of the defendant for any and all injuries incurred regardless of the severity.