Calling all Orthopedists and Knee Specialists ?

Question

So this is like the fifth knee question I've posted in a while. My doctor keeps giving me different diagnoses for my knee, and since none of the treatment has been working, they are going to test for reflex sympathetic dystrophy. I have no idea what this is and what its effects are. I also don't think that I have it, since I have no swelling, sweating, or changes in my skin. Does anyone out there agree with me, and can you tell me what you know about RSDS?

Answer 1

RSDS is a somewhat hard-to-pin-down chronic nerve disorder associated with injured soft tissue, such as a nerve, that doesn’t heal right. RSDS usually affects the extremities but symptoms can show up just about anywhere in the body. The pain and difficulties that arise due to RSDS may or may not be in proportion to the magnitude of the injury. Then again, RSDS can develop without a precipitating event. The disease is rather unpredictable and many symptoms appear and disappear at different times. If diagnosed early, RSDS can be cured or at least mitigated, but if left untreated, it can lead to permanent deformities in the areas affected, chronic pain, and psychological problems. Because the symptoms of reflex sympathetic dystrophy can be so vague and characteristic of numerous other conditions, it can be difficult to make a reflex sympathetic dystrophy diagnosis. Nerve entrapment, for example, is one condition whose symptoms can mimic reflex sympathetic dystrophy and there are no tests designed to specifically diagnose reflex sympathetic dystrophy. While no cure for reflex sympathetic dystrophy is known, treatments are available to relieve the symptoms of this condition. The three main forms of treatment are medication, physical therapy and surgery.

Dima

Pgy- I year