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Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, or RSD, is a painful condition characterized by severe burning pain; pathological changes in bone and skin; excessive sweating; tissue swelling; and extreme sensitivity to touch, all triggered by some sort of nerve damage. The injury that causes the nerve damage or injury does not have to be particularly severe in order to cause RSD, it just has to exist.
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy is commonly classified as a form of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. RSD is Type I CRPS which means that the cause of the nerve damage or injury is not immediately or readily identifiable. Most of the time, when RSD develops, there has been some sort of injury to a nerve or soft tissues which has resulted in the nerve not healing correctly in some way from the injury.
Unlike many injury consequences which depend on the extent of the original injury, developing RSD does not rely on a specific degree of original injury. The condition can develop following almost any injury to the soft tissue or a nerve that occurs so long as the injury doesn't heal properly.
Because this condition is so vague, there is no lab test for it at the doctors. Diagnosing reflex sympathetic dystrophy relies heavily on a doctor's assessment of subjective complaints recorded in the medical history of a patient as well as objective findings via a physical examination or assessment by a doctor if possible.
Treatment of the condition varies from individual to individual and, in many cases, the condition goes away on its own without further treatment from the doctor. Unfortunately, while waiting for things to improve, a person must live with a considerable amount of pain.
Contact a Boston Workers' Compensation Lawyer
If you have been injured and are now suffering from RSD or CRPS and unable to work, contact the Boston workers' compensation lawyers of Pulgini & Norton at 1-888-344-2046 to discuss your situation and to learn more about the workers' compensation system.
