I firmly believe casting caused my RSD. Mine started in 2006 after a bad fall down the stairs. I went to the urgent care the following day because my foot looked broken. They didn't find anything on Xray but assumed a break because of how it looked and did an aircast. The RSD set in 3 weeks later. I had it manageable, which isn't saying a lot, but I could walk a year later with much pain.

The pain still seemed to be both RSD and bone so they did an MRI and bone scan and found that there were indeed 5 fractures in my 3rd and 4th metatarsals - great, I thought it was the 1st metatarsal that was broken. In any case, we cast it in a plaster cast because after a year they didn't know how else to heal it. It took a week and the RSD was flared worse than ever and I wouldn't walk for months. The only thing that allowed me to walk again was pushing through insane pain. The RSD in the cast caused my leg to swell around the cast and I had to have the cast removed immediately. When they cut the cast off, they also burned or cut my skin and that was the worst pain I have ever felt to have a cast saw burn my skin with RSD.

I worked for years to be able to walk and be active. Now if I'm down for any reason - if I have a cold or if I am recovering from something or if I don't walk a few miles in a day (granted still in pain) the RSD flares. The immobility seems to be a major trigger and a cast is straight out for me.

Since they are talking about removable casts for you - with a strict physical therapy plan I could see it being okay, but you probably need to be able to move and work on things. For me now, I still have the broken bones in my foot and I broke another bone in the other foot a few years back. Broken bone pain isn't as bad as RSD so I know which one I take. Good luck in whatever you end up doing -- but please ask about doing PT or any exercises if you opt for the cast!