RSD

[augy]

Hello,
I've had 2 surgeries on my ankle/foot after having a motorcycle accident 4 months ago. The bones/tendons seem to be healing ok, but the nerve damage has not improved. The pain I've been in, which is like having a blowtorch aimed at the bottom of my foot, has not wavered. The doctor says I have RSD and has explained this disorder to me, telling me that it may never go away and may get worse. Is there a better treatment than just opiates and Lyrica?

[augy]

Thans for the response. I feel better now knowing there are alternatives to loads of pills everyday!

[Dr Rajgopal]

Hi,
If RSD progresses, or shows no response to medication, a widely employed therapeutic intervention for RSD is cervical or lumbar paravertebral sympathetic block with anesthetic injections such as mepivacaine or bupivacaine. The pain relief may be extremely good, for a time more than the action of the anesthetic.
Some patients may be cured by a surgical procedure that involves excision of one or more sympathetic nerves, also called as sympathectomy.  Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) may be helpful in some cases and must be tried at multiple locations. Other neurosurgical approaches include implantable electronic biostimulator devices to block pain impulses in the spinal cord. Please consult a neurologist for the treatment advice. Hope this helps you. Take care and regards!

[augy]

I also wonder if anyone that has/had this, has it gone away or maybe the condition lessened?