Aparently there are four types of spread with RSD, Contiguous Spread C.S. (moving up your limb or body), Independent Spread I.S, (to an other area of the body) and of cource Mirror Spread M.S. (across to other side) and Dissociated Spread D.S. (in some areas symptoms without pain)

These were documented in a medical paper done in january of 2000 called:

Patterns of spread in complex regional pain syndrome, type 1 (RSD).
by
Jahangir Maleki, Alyssa A.LeBel, Gary j. Bennett, and Robert J. Schwartzman.

I have the paper but havn't found a free online version yeat to post the link here.

I have one doc who thinks mine is both IS and MS and one that thinks it is CS and MS as do I.

But my doctors are now saying mine has generalized. which means spread throughout my body. And that too is what I think too.
WCB however is still saying there is no spread that it just does not happen except I.S. from another injury.. and they have their docs backing that up, s'a crazy world folks.

Anyway I just wanted to share the spread info if anyone can find a usable link to share this the most wake em up evidence and or just to see what is/can happening when spreading.

I think that as they note in the artical that I.S. strongly promotes the belief that I have always had that RSD has systemic qualitys, mabie some of the syndromes involve more systemic propertys while others stay more regional?

Anyho a thinker fer ya to work on and perhaps help some.. it sure has me.

Sandra,
I believe that this would be the article you are looking for:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science...2d7af78b84db20

I read it before and recognized it when I read your post.
Many soft hugs,
Vanessa

And here are two other articles that speak about spreading:
http://www.rsdsa.org/3/education/CRP...ad_Stanos.html
http://www.rsdsa.org/3/research/evidence_report_1.html

thanks
that first link you provided is just the abstract of the it, the article is 9 full small print pages long, and it has some enlightening diagrams I believe they want you to purchace the full version on that site too. I am off to look at yr other links now thanks again..

I hope you are having low pain days an lotsa sunshine.

You are welcome!

Yeah- they always want you to buy the full article so they only give you the abstract! I would love to find the full article, because I want to read it/ see the diagrams! If you ever find it online please do post it! Thanks.

Here is the diagram from the Patterns of Spread article

Fig. 1. Schematic drawings showing the three types of spread found in patients with complex regional pain syndrome, type I (reflex sympathetic dystrophy). Arrows indicate the direction of spread.

Attached Thumbnails

 

Attached Files

Patterns of Spread.pdf (152.6 KB, 188 views)

This article needs to be in the sticky posts but I am not sure how to do it can someone help please. Mollymcn thank you so much for putting that up, I tell ya I coulda stopped alot of grief with my doctors if I'da had this article a year and a half ago to bring them..

It should be nessary reading for any doc with an RSD patient.

Any one ever seen any other articles that mention generalized spread, or dissacociated spread as it is in the above article?

In nine cases of IS and MS (patients 3, 5, 8, 10, 17, 18, 21,
22 and 26) we noted a dissociation of spreading symptoms,
J. Maleki et al. / Pain 88 (2000) 259±266 263
where parts of the CRPS-I/RSD symptom complex other
than pain (abnormal vasomotor or sudomotor function,
and/or difficulty with movement) were the first to be noted
in the new area. This phenomenon has been described
previously (Schwartzman, 1995). The variable presentation
of CRPS-I symptoms is well known (Stanton-Hicks et al.,
1995; Baron et al., 1996; Schwartzman, 1996), and it has
been suggested that some patients may present with all of
the symptoms except pain (Blumberg, 1988; Baron et al.,
1996). The significance of DS is unclear. In particular, it is
difficult to say whether or not the appearance of the other
symptoms first implies that they cause the pain. It does, of
course, suggest the opposite ± that pain need not be the only
cause of the associated symptoms.