Fake diagnosis?!

Fake diagnosis?

I had an injury 7 years ago and had reconstructive surgery 4 years ago on my ankle. Now, I still have the same pain that I had after that initial injury. It has caused me not to work it's so severe. They are calling it REFLEX SYMPATHETIC DYSTRIFY (excuse any spelling errors). Is that one of those diagnosis they put on something they can't explain (like fibramyalsia) , or is it real?

RSD (reflex sympathetic dystrophy, complex regional pain syndrome) is real. It is not a "trashcan diagnosis" or "fake," as you put it. It's a progressive disease that has real physical manifestations and specific treatments.

However, it IS a syndrome---a condition diagnosed by signs and symptoms---and the commonly quoted mechanisms on what actually causes RSD/CRPS (the pathophysiology of the disease) are only theories. That's true of almost all syndromes. We know that the signs (doctor's findings) and symptoms (patient's reporting) constitute some kind of condition, but the actual causes are a little murkier. The classical theory is that RSD is a sort of "misfiring" of the sympathetic nervous system. More recent theories, however, tend to put the blame on more complex interactions between the brain and the rest of the nervous system. And to confuse everything further, there is some new research coming out that suggests that an inflammatory process is at least somewhat to blame for RSD. Which is correct? Nobody knows yet. Hopefully, we'll find out soon.

I've had RSD for quite a long time. I've been through many treatments and have gotten to the point where I function quite normally most of the time. It's not a fun thing to have, but with effective treatment, things can get better.

I recommend that you find a good doctor with experience in treating RSD. For a start, you can try contacting the RSDSA on their website: http://www.rsds.org

Good luck!