ABSTRACT
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), algodystrophy and Sudeck’s atrophy all refer to an exaggerated response to a painful stimulus, usually affecting an extremity. The painful stimulus is frequently traumatic but RSD has followed myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident and herpes zoster infection. The precise pathological pathway is unknown but appears to involve activation of both central and peripheral nervous systems. It is more common in females (2:1) in the age range of 20-40 years but can affect any age including children. It is more common in the lower limb than the upper and has been described in the spine, hip and shoulder. Some studies have found the incidence to be as high as 37% although the condition is usually recognized much less frequently than this.
