Well...I have to say that if your PT knows anything at all about RSD then they would know that there is no "textbook" RSD case. The exact effects and the way the symptoms present varies so much from person to person. Not that I'm saying to reject their opinion out of hand...I would probably follow up with your treating doctor about it and get their opinion (as alt said...you could have both). But seriously...for someone to have such specific ideas about how your RSD should present and on only the first visit...those would be red flags for me personally that they do not know what they are talking about (at least so far as the RSD goes). Might be an excellent PT but maybe should leave the RSD diagnosis to those who understand it better. I would still follow up on the tos though with your treating doctor just to be safe though.

If the PT was suggesting something invasive, it would be more worrisome. It seems he might have an idea that is worth pursuing. I may be in the minority, and it can be an emotional roller coaster dealing with other non RSD ideas, but if there is a contributing factor to the RSD that can be helped, that would be great, right?

I've had two amazing (out of a dozen or so) PT's. One I saw for only a single appointment, looked at how I was holding my arm, and he did something chiropractic like that helped relieve 75% of the issues in my shoulder that had been bothering me for greater than a year. Another figured out my lower back issue (a very specific stetch and massage) after a year of docs offering meds and potential surgery.

I've also had internal stitches torn in my knee during "no pain, no gain" therapy from a VERY respected PT that was an idiot.

Should a PT be diagnosing? Probably not. Might he recognize an issue a doc or even several docs have missed? Possible, IMO.

Having one primary doc that is open to new ideas, makes it easier to cope with this kind of stuff. If you can keep positive without getting your hopes up too much, that's best... Craziness, I know.

If you haven't had an MRI yet , it would be good as a check & to rule in or out any obvious structural issues.
TOS doesn't usually show up on MRI either , unless there is a extra cervical rib or some other anomalies that are compromising/impinging the nerve or vascular system in the collarbone, neck, shoulder areas.

I've found some advanced PTs are better at seeing the body as a whole and seeing postural or anomalies that drs miss..
Same for expert chiropractors.

I don't know if you've read on our TOS forum at all , but you can find all the symptoms most of us have.
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=5618
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum24.html

In the past quite a few w/ TOS eventually acquired RSD also after many years.