From the moment I got my RSD diagnosis, I was sent straight to PT to have them desensitize my leg! It was TORTURE! The PT's would stroke my leg with all kinds of stuff (cotton woll, feathers, bubble wrap, water - you name it, they tried it!) and I would spend hours in tears screaming from the pain! I used to dread going to PT as it would flare me up for days on end.

Like you, I was told it needed to be done in order to get better and that it would all be worth it in the end ... certainly didn't feel like that at the time!

After about a year of constant desensitization, nothing was getting better so my mum got me a second opinion and I went to Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital and underwent these 3 weeks intense PT course. The PT's there are renound for dealing with RSD so they reallly knew what they were doing. I was told that the desensitization I was doing at my other hospital was wrong! It was explained to me that you need to be really agressive when doing it and not just stroke your limbs with feathers then have a break. You need to get straight into wearing socks etc. Touching your limbs with feathers can aggrivate things ... as was happening in my case.

After being told that, I was made to wear socks every day for a few hours. It was pure h*ll and I screamed all day long! After a few weeks though, things started to get a little better and I was able to tolerate things a bit more.

Even now, I find wearing socks to be extremely painful however I can tolerate them better than I could.

I think it's really important that you get a PT that understands RSD and knows your limits ... one that doesn't will just make things worse!

Hang in there and I hope things start looking up for you soon

Alison