I think it's important to note that I did not have a sympathectomy. A sympathectomy is the permanent surgical cutting of the sympathetic nerve and/ or removal of that nerve, and is not reversible. It is important to differentiate the two so people are not misinformed/miseducated, and that genicular RFA can be a wonderful temporary solution to a very painful problem.

I had a genicular nerve ablation via RFA (radio frequency ablation) on the genicular nerves in my (RSD affected) knee, in the joint. Nothing was cut surgically or removed. Perhaps this can clear the air about my procedure and what was performed.

http://strykerivs.com/resources/radiofrequency-ablation

http://ainsworthinstitute.com/genicular-neurotomy/

I wanted to post an update, and let everybody know that I'm about 80% pain-free in my left knee and leg! The flare ups are minimal, but it does flares up due to aggravating factors like vigorous exercise, cold weather/fast barometric weather changes, long periods of standing on my feet, or not wearing the correct shoes (dress boots versus my tennis shoes or uggs). It's not a cure of course, and I was not expecting it to be, but it has made a significant difference in my pain levels, and I Don't have to use my pain meds as much as I did before. PT is much more tolerable too. The color in my knee also seems to better and the allodynia has improved. I still do precautions like double layering, not working too hard at the gym, keeping it propped up when I'm at my desk, and elevating at home. The recovery was painful, but it was definitely worth it!