Good Afternoon, First off let me start by saying i had shoulder surgery on Dec 6th(almost 3 months ago) the dr cut part of my collar bone-Took out my bursa sac and removed some bone spurs off my ac joint... I started going to PT 10 days after surgery and still go 2 times a week. My problem in that now i have a frozen shoulder (at least thats what they say) and 2 days after my surgery my hand(fingers) swelled up and to this day they are still swollen up.(i have ROM of shoulder 40 outward and 130 up).I have been back to my surgeon and he has sent for for scans to make sure i dont have a blood clot(came back fine) and he took xrays of my hand and wrist and they came back fine also........ I have searched and searched the internet for a reason why my hand is still swollen and i have found nothing! I cant bend my fingers and sometimes my knuckles turn almost black... My surgeon wants to just send me to a pain managment dr and say it is RSD, Im not believing that at all! I have looked and although i do have some of the symptoms i dont have the pain that should be with it...I think its a nerve-circulation problem, I had called my dr 3 days ago and asked for a emg and i have heard nothing back yet.... UHGGG I need help, does anyone have any ideas on what might be going on?
Although my hand is swollen and i cant bend my fingers , you can also see that my whole right arm is bigger then my left.. I have been on anti imflammatorys for over a month and nothing, he put me on anti depressants and still no difference...
Can anyone help me?
sandy

You might want to read on our thoracic outlet forum and check for your symptoms there. The useful sticky thread has a lot of info.

Hi Sandy..
So sory to hear of your problems.. I think if I were you I would start taking ALOT of grapeseed extract.. go high on the antioxadents that inflamation is comming from somewhere, and stay away from Ice.
I have heard of RSD without the disabling pain the rest of the symptoms tend to be the same but without the pain *sigh* so you should not dismiss RSD out of hand because if thhis is what is going on you are in a timeframe to put it into remission or cure it if it is sympatheticly induced swelling.

Good luck in your search for answers and I hope you find yr answers soon,
Hugs,
Sandra

Hi,

If this has started since the surgery then it's likely to be somehow connected to that; it sounds alarming, I'd get a second opinion if I were you - if you're only seeing the doctors who performed the surgery, they might be less than keen to link it with the surgery. But it sounds like you need some kind of diagnosis and treatment right away.

I *haven't* heard of RSD without pain, BTW. Go get another doctor's opinion soon as you can,
all the best

Artist - I think there have been a couple of documented cases.. but it might have been linked more to sympathetic dysfunction -it's why they changed the UK rules for diagnosis or something..

seems abit weird though. I would definetly get another opinion!!!

FRxxxxxxx

Hi again Sandy..
It was in the WorksafeBC website I entered CRPS into their search and brought up the CRPS update dated June 19th 2006. In there it says that in sime circumstances RSD/CRPS can be present in all forms and minus the pain symptomology and it is still RSD or CRPS.
Sory don't mean to be a downer I just don't want you to dismiss it out of hand because of the pain issue.. there is a 6 month window of opportunity to get this treated most successfully.
Sandra