Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy - RSD

RSD or Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy is a neurological ailment that causes many people to suffer a deep burning sensation in the skin, muscles, joints, and bones. The cause often confuses scientists and doctors, but most people that suffer from RSD have had amenable immobilizations, sprains, heart attacks, sports injuries, or head injuries that ended with broken bones.

The major symptoms of RSD vary from person to person. Along with the burning in the limbs, joints, and extremities, many sufferers of this sometimes devastating disease often develop sensitivity to touch, severe swelling, and excessive sweating. Most confusing to doctors and victims alike, the signs of RSD do not always match with complete uniformity the injuries that caused them. A minor injury may cause extreme pain, although this degree can shift from constant to sporadic.

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Disorder can attack anyone at any age, from the children to the old. Most of the sufferers are between the ages of 40 and 60, for the people at these ages are the most probable to bear injuries that can lead to RSD. Men and women are equally vulnerable to this condition, and if the syndrome is caught in the initial stages, medical science can generally find a way to combat the symptoms in order to allow the victim to live a fruitful and healthy life.

There are three stages of RSD.

Stage 1 causes extreme and swelling in the joints and extremities.

Stage 2 results in signs that expand to include dry hands, hair loss, stiffness, and more severe pain.

Stage 3 causes thinning of skin tissues, increasing pain, and permanent tissue damage.

Because there is so little understanding of the physiology of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, and actually little consensus of what exactly establishes this condition, doctors are often at a complete loss to try to treat it. The normal treatments for Reflect Sympathetic Disorder include spinal cord stimulation, topical analgesics, physical therapy, and antidepressants. The esteemed National Institute of Health is currently working hard to find a comprehensive treatment for RSD, but up till now, there is no standard guidebook for doctors to follow to help sufferers of this disorder.