Do you limp? My right ankle and foot are the affected areas and I definitely walk with a limp and it's gotten worse over time. Within the last 6 months I started having hip pain in my left hip that shoots down the front of my thigh. The doctor says its from limping and has done one injection into the hip. I am scheduled for another one next week. Anyone else have suggestions to help with this?

Yes, I do limp. My ankle has alot of problems. Due to Neuro trouble PN or RSD I can't have surgical correction. I have hip pain as well from my awkward gait. I am going to bring this up to my doctor this coming week. I am not sure much can be done about it but I will ask. I am taking some suppliments, and some pain killers as well. Hope this has some resolution myself. ginnie

I to have a right foot and ankle rsd. I limp alot or slide my foot along. It eventually got to a point where I couldn't even do that and was placed on a roll-a-bout. Unfortunately, because of the limp you are throwing not only your hips out of wack but also your spine.

My suggestion is to get a rollabout for when you are out of the house. This will minimize the damage you are causing. Also if you have a walker handy, I use this as a bed cradle. Works great to keep the blankets off my feet.

I love the idea of using the walker as a bed cradle to keep the blankets off your feet and legs! I would have never thought of doing that...but I am definately going to utilize my walker in that way now. I haven't had any use for my walker for awhile. I can barely bear any weight on my right foot...at least not enough to walk and my doctor doesn't want me using my crutches anymore because of complications with RSD having spread to my right arm, hand and neck as well. So, unfortunately, I am confined to a wheelchair now if I need to go anywhere. I hate it! Anyway, that was off the subject. Thanks again for the cradle idea!

Ask your dr. for a roll a bout. It has been great for me. The handle bar folds down for easy transportation too. You can all look on my page and see a picture of mine.

Is there anything that predicts if this RSD is going to spread? This started with PN but now there is burning on the bottom of my foot. Doc said there was trouble, but now I am really starting to become afraid. what kind of doctor should I go to for definate diagnosis? ginnie

... i use a walker, roller, wheel chair.. thing from drive.. .. and have used it at night to support the right leg.. at least until my let leg spread.. now no blankets
on me ... as far as limp yelper really bad and thats with a cane. even when i use a walker... there are even times i use two canes at once. the limp effects my hip and lower back a lot and the use of canes, and walker effects my neck as well as hands and arms.. no win situation really..

Terralyn; I can most definitely relate. The injections you are getting can help, but they likely won't give you lasting results. You have to address the root cause and attack that.

I developed CRPS in my right foot in 2008. Because of the "altered gait", over time I developed problems in my right hip and also all the way down from the hip to the knee (iliotibial band).

It became quite bothersome and I used a physical therapist to get it under control (after a steroid injection by my orthopedic doctor).

After quite a few sessions with the physical therapist, he taught me the proper exercises to keep my hip strong, which is the key. When I went to the PT, he diagnosed me with having "significant atrophy" (weakness) because of the altered gait.

So twice a day I do exercises for the hip area and actually the entire lower body. I do a comprehensive exercise/self-therapy session in the morning and a shorter session later in the day. It helps TREMENDOUSLY. in fact, I'm getting ready for my morning therapy session right now!

The other thing to consider is chiropractic. Because of the altered gait, my leg length is often not the same. The chiropractor performs spinal and pelvic adjustments and then performs ultrasound on the hip and iliotibial band.

Between chiropractic and the PT I perform on myself, I've been able to "control it" and I feel so very much better than I did.

So consider Physical Therapy and Chiropractic! They've been a godsend for me. Hope this helps!

Birchlake,

Do you mind going into more specifics with a brief description of the hip/pelvis/IT band exercises you do that have helped so tremendously? Thank you.

Sure I can do that....Below are the exercises/stretches I perform for the hip/IT band. You can go to YouTube where all of these will be illustrated in video so that you can easily learn them.

As always, specific stretches and exercises may be helpful to some and harmful to others, so it's always best to get professional advice and recommendations from a Physical Therapist that would be the safest and of most benefit to you. Good luck!

1. Hamstring towel stretch
2. Supine piriformis stretch
3. Clam shell exercise (with resistance band)
4. Gator exercise (with resistance band; this exercise is simply a clamshell, but with legs straight)
5. Quadruped exercises (on all fours)