One huge word of caution: the Mayo Clinic is a large organization and in order to assure that the same patient seeing any one of many doctors would - in theory - get the same diagnosis, has apparently adopted some fairly rigid standards under which a clinical diagnosis of RSD can be made. (At least that's one explanation.)

As a result, if you are not presenting with a "classic" case, e.g. differential tempratures, redness, sweating, swelling etc., they may not make a finding of RSD, even though your home town pain doctor has already managed to get you great relief with sympathetic blocks. That screwed me up with my disability carrier for a couple of years until my symptoms progressed to the point that (1) Robert J. Schwartzman, MD saw me in Philadelphia and produced a very detailed report saying that I in fact had RSD and (2) I went back to the Mayo Clinic where I was seen by someone outside of the whole pain treatment network and he was able to make a diagnosis of RSD, along with the things I was seeing him for, and that ended the discussion.

So, if there are any issues of public or private disability coverage and your RSD has "unique" aspects, I would give it a second thought before going to the Mayo Clinic.

Put it another way, all things considered, you might want to be in Philadelphia.

Mike