Burning pain in an extremity. Breaking the destructive cycle of reflex sympathetic dystrophy

The pathogenesis of reflex sympathetic dystrophy is controversial, but the condition can result from a major or seemingly minor injury to a limb, or even an insult to an organ, such as stroke or myocardial infarction. Onset can be sudden or insidious. The syndrome is characterized primarily by localized, deep, burning pain in a limb--pain that may not follow any logical distribution. Nonpitting edema, skin hyperesthesia, and guarding of the limb usually accompany the pain. If treatment is not instituted, deformity, contracture, and wasting of the limb can eventually occur. With appropriate therapy, the process can be stopped and often reversed. The keys are a high index of suspicion, early diagnosis, and aggressive treatment.