My RSD is in my left arm and hand. This journey started 4 years or so ago when my fingers got stuck/cramped into a semi closed position ( like a claw). At that time I also was unable to extend my forearm. I couldn't even force the fingers out. I was dx with median nerve entrapment at the elbow. Eventually with therapy I got movement back and just had pain and numbness. It was corrected with my first surgery.

Pain returned and after that surgery I believe the RSD started. Although no one figured it out until I had yet another surgery.

Today I was reading a magazine and my hand clamped down in a death grip on the magazine. I was able to force my fingers open a little to get it out. Then it kept clamping down and I kept prying it open. I finally got it to stay open and back to my "normal" hand with the fingers curled in slightly which they have been since surgery 2.

Does this happen to anyone else? I seem to remember the doctor originally saying that the muscles kind of freak out because the nerve isn't telling them what to do (that was the original injury).

It is horribly painful and after that episode my pain level has increased a lot.

Is there a way to avoid this from happening?

I also have RSD in my hand/left forearm and yes, my hand cramps up sometimes. I was having allot of problems with it cramping into a fist during the night. My Dr gave me flexeril, a muscle relaxant, and it has helped. I still get an occasional cramping where it is severe and I can't open my hand and it hurts like hell but it is less often.

I get this too. The biggest thing for me is to avoid things that trigger my RSD...primarily anything cold. I wear gloves all the time now because I am so sensitive to it. If my pain flares then my hand/hands claw up and I cannot straighten them out at all. Last time it happened was a couple of days ago when it was super cold out and my car door was frozen shut. I couldn't use my right arm at all and the hand clawed up. Made it to work and couldn't even take my coat off all day. When I got home from work I managed to get into a hot bath with Epsom salts, followed by ultrasound heat therapy, lidocaine cream, and a heating pad for a couple of hours...that finally got me to a point where I could move my arm.

I have found this can also happen if I hold things for a long period of time. I like to stitch but have had to adjust the way I "hold" the stitching frame so that I am more propping it on my fingers or on the table because holding it in my hand will cause the clawing and pain. This also happened when I tried to use a duster at work...only a couple minute in my hand clawed and there was ridiculous pain. So...cold and immobilization are what seem to do me in. If I can avoid those things then it's rare that this happens. Of course...it's impossible to avoid these things all together and still live your life.

You may need to adapt how you do things. You might need to move to an electronic reader for example.

When you say you couldn't extend your forearm, was it because it was too painful, or you just could not move it? My arm hurts to move it up or out away from my body.

It was locked/cramped up. If I tried to move it, it caused excruciating pain. If I got movement at all it was forced with the other hand and just went back to the original position it was stuck in.