Reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome following herpes zoster

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (RSDS), or algodystrophy, is a poorly understood, painful syndrome that consists of multiple symptoms, including vasomotor instability, swelling, and chronic pain involving an extremity. Although RSDS following herpes zoster is classically recognized, only a few well-documented cases of this complication have been reported to date. We present the case of a 63-year-old white woman with characteristic signs and symptoms of RSDS in the left upper limb that appeared 3 weeks after she had a typical herpes zona involving the left C5-C6 dermatomes. Early diagnosis and treatment with physiotherapy, intranasal salmon calcitonin, and oral calcium achieved a progressive improvement of the disease, which healed without sequelae in a brief time.