Why isn't there some kind of brain surgery for reflex sympathetic distrophy!
Question: Why isn't there some kind of brain surgery for reflex sympathetic distrophy?
Some people that have this have full-body excruciating pain. Why isn't there anything anyone can do to help these people? We can send people to the moon but can't help someone with RSD?
Answers:
Best Answer - Chosen by Voters
There ARE surgical treatments for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (or Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy). Some of these involve surgery on the brain itself ie Deep Brain Stimulation and Motor Cortex Stimulation. A physical, but non-surgical brain treatment is Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT).
"Total body pain" as a symptom may exclude the diagnosis of CRPS / RSD.
To add to the above answer, CRPS typically and as a general rule, only affects one limb.
And there are a lot of treatment methods, medications and overall approaches to dealing with this complex disease.
The problem is that it often doesn't get diagnosed in the early stages, when it is much more amenable to treatment.
Also, it is more of a dysfunction of the peripheral nervous system, not the central nervous system (the brain). AND, pain is such a complex thing, that even if you cut off the limb, you are not guaranteed to get rid of the pain.
Occupational Therapist