I got a knee injury at work. The ER diagnosed a "badly bruised" knee but on my first bone scan 5 months later I was told there was a healing fracture of the kneecap. If I'd only known it was broken, I sure wouldn't have been walking on the leg a week a half after the injury!

My rsd started 2 weeks after. I was injured on February 5, 2003 at 7am and rsd hit February 22, 2003 when I woke up. For the first 5 days I had horrible pain and swelling, skin on leg and foot was freezing cold to the touch. On the 27th-6 days, the color changes started. When I put my leg down it would turn purple/pink/blue and swell twice the normal size within seconds. As long as I elevated the leg the color was still too white, but looked normal and swelling was still there just not as bad as when it was down. I couldn't even touch my big toe to the floor and exert the slightest pressure on it or I would almost pass out from the pain it caused.

I was diagnosed a month and a half into it by an Ortho I was referred to. Being a work comp case I was then passed around to many docs who bowed to wc while I worsened rapidly. In the end, I had 2 Ortho's, a physiatrist, physical therapist, pain management doctor and a Neuro diagnose me with rsd. I had rsd in all 4 limbs and hips by 11 months into it and was "stable" for a bit over 3 years. It's now been 6 years and I'm full body.

RSD is different for everyone and while you may not have many symptoms at first, it can progress quickly, or at the very least have more symptoms show up one after another over a few weeks. The diagnosis of rsd should be based on the medical history and after ruling out everything else it could possibly be. This is often why doctors will order MRI's, x-rays, bone scans and EMG's. The key is which doctor can diagnose, but finding a doctor who is knowledgeable about rsd. A doc who really knows rsd and isn't full of myths and half-truths, such as it doesn't spread or it'll go away after a year or two. *snorts* Yeah, sure it does! LOL The doc most often gone to when rsd is suspected is a pain management doc. This is because they are usually the ones who are most knowledgeable about rsd and nerve blocks are the first thing done and they are the only docs who do them.

Why is it you think you might have rsd based on only one symptom? Has a doctor said you might have it? Please tell us more of your story.

Hugs,

Karen