RSD Questions and Answers

A Toronto-area girl recently likened her struggle with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) as a “prison of pain.” Due to a nerve disorder, the teenager feels intense pain even when objects such as a bed sheet or feather brush up against her skin.

RSD is very difficult to link the disorder to a specific cause. RSD is also very difficult to diagnose. Sixteen-year-old Megan Brown knows this fact all too well. Her mother rushed her to a local hospital when Megan’s foot became swollen and purple. The doctors could neither explain the swollen foot nor Megan’s intense and burning pain. After several visits to specialists, Megan was properly diagnosed with RSD.

While RSD has been linked to a sudden high-velocity impact, such as a gunshot or shrapnel wound or other high-speed impact. RSD can occur from any damage to a nerve. A heavy item that falls on your foot, an injection that damages a nerve and even a twisting injury to your ankle can lead to RSD. The patient may appear to heal normally, and the doctors do not detect the patient’s serious internal nerve damage. Symptoms may not manifest themselves for several weeks or even several months.

If you are the victim in an auto accident, slip-and-fall or shooting and you suddenly begin to experience intense pain that the doctors cannot identify, there are several steps you can take:

• Confirm the diagnosis. An experienced attorney can direct you to a specialist who understands your pain and can properly diagnose rare conditions such as RSD.

• Determine the cause. Many times, RSD has no readily discernable cause. But your doctors can closely examine your medical history and pick up clues as to how you developed RSD.

If there is a legal remedy available for your RSD, experienced accident attorneys can help you identify the responsible parties and obtain fair compensation for all your injuries.