I would say the pain and symptoms can and do change over time...but so does our way of dealing with it. My sense of "norm" has changed and so pain that would have probably knocked me unconscious in the beginning of my RSD or prior to getting RSD now just makes me stop, blink, and then continue on. I've also learned lots of coping mechanisms and I think that changes the way I experience the pain. I'm aware of it but it doesn't affect me the same way as it used to.

But the symptoms have changed over time too. In the beginning I had severe pain, sensitivity to touch, and the temperature changes were very extreme. Now the temp changes only come with very big flares. I can also add a lot of other symptoms to my condition now since the spread including difficulty sleeping, balance problems, difficulty concentrating, etc. I've also undergone many different treatments and I think that affects the RSD too and the symptoms.

Sometimes treatments that we think have failed have actually had an impact. I had a lumbar sympathetic block early on (about 6 months after it started) and it had zero impact on my pain. But the temperature changes gradually reduced after that. I didn't connect them right away because the pain was so huge and the temperature changes were just odd. But in hind sight the block did help with that particular symptom.

So...I don't think RSD burns itself out but it can and does change.