RSD symptoms include burning pain, skin changes, and tenderness, progressing through four stages. Early diagnosis is crucial for effective treatment, and RSD often follows medical trauma or injury.
Symptoms of RSD, or reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome, include intense burning pain, variable hot or cold skin, tenderness, inflammation, and discoloration of the skin over the painful area. These and other symptoms are divided into four stages, with the fourth stage being rarely experienced. The disease gets worse over time, and people may respond better to treatment if they are diagnosed earlier. In most cases, RSD begins after a patient has sustained a medical trauma or been injured.
Probably one of the best understood features of this difficult disorder is what occurs at each particular stage. Some of the more significant symptoms of RSD in its early stages include initially receiving an injury or experiencing severe trauma such as a stroke. In stage I, which can alternatively be called the acute stage, people develop a burning pain around the affected area, often a limb. Touching this area can increase the pain, and the skin can also become noticeably cold or warm at intervals. These symptoms alone warrant talking to a doctor about the likelihood of an RSD diagnosis.
Most injuries improve, but those with the condition will find that their normal expectations of recovery are not met. In other words, the injury keeps hurting much longer than it should. Symptoms of RSD worsen dramatically as people progress to Stage II, or the dystrophic stage. The pain becomes extreme at times and touching the injured area greatly increases the discomfort. Other physical symptoms of RSD in the dystrophic stage include ripples in the nails and skin discoloration, and mental and emotional symptoms such as depression, irritability, and memory loss sometimes occur.
During the atrophic stage, or Stage III, the pain continues and the skin surrounding the painful area may thin or appear shiny. One of the possible symptoms of RSD in this stage is the spread of pain to previously unaffected areas. People may also experience reductions in their ability to move. Phase I and II usually take no more than a year, but phase III can last for numerous years.
The last stage of RSD meets infrequently. Before reaching this stage, patients often try various interventions that ultimately halt the progression of the disease. If stage IV occurs, organs and other parts of the body can be severely affected. Amputation is sometimes considered if the original site of injury is a limb.
Those experiencing symptoms of RSD are likely to feel discouraged and find it difficult to cope. In later stages, people can be completely disabled by this disorder. Since the most effective treatment begins in the early stages of this disease, it is extremely important to bring this condition to the attention of doctors immediately.
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