Good evening, I am new to CRPS/RSD diagnosed Jan 214. I hade a collier fracture to my arm and ended with RSD. My question is I have swollen fingers and still unable to make a fist , I am improving but very limited in motion. From what I have read on this site now one seems to talk about any permanent loss of motion of any joint . I am assuming my right hand will come back ????? I have had two 6 day prednisone and also a cortisone shot in my wrist. I just want to be able to get back to work

Hi Tullis

Firstly, I want to apologise for the inevitable typos. It is nearly 3am here, I am mid-flare and typing on my phone. But I didn't want to wait until morning to reply.

I cant tell you what will happen for you. I can only tell you my experience so far.

I had surgery on my right wrist in December 2012. When the cast came off in January 2013, I could barely move my fingers. That is not an exaggeration. My hand was so swollen the knuckles were not visible at all. Now, my hand looks pretty normal though there is still obvious swelling around my wrist. I cant make a proper fist but i can get all my fingers to touch my palm.

It took a lot of time and work to get to this point but I have so much more mobility than I did in January 2013. Initially, I had weekly physio appointments and did my exercises several times a day at home. I found it really helpful to use a heatpack before and after I did my exercises. I also made a conscious effort to use my hand whenever I reasonably could. But you have to be careful too. You don't want to push too hard ot do anything potentially dangerous.

I do not have full mobility in my hand, wrist or shoulder. (The CRPS spread to my shoulder.) But I am still working on it.

I returned to work in February 2013 but my hand was completly useless for months. My employer had gotten me voice recognition software before my surgery so that helped. But when I first returned to work I really could not do anything. My employer was really supportive of my return to work though. And my role allowed my to make a contribution without using my right hand, which is my dominant hand.

Of course we are all different. Your experience may be different. Return to work depends on so many things. I have been very lucky with that but even so, it is a struggle. Every weekday I wake up thinking I cant possibly make it through the work day. Most days I do but it comes at a cost. Evenings and weekends I do nothing, I just try to rexover from the week.

But I have hope that I will improve more. And I hope that you can too.

Kim

Hi tullis

I'm hopped up on morphine st the moment and typing on my back so ditto to what Kim said...

Just wanted to say welcome, but I'm so sorry you've got this too. Have a read round the site as there's loads of great info and advice around. Normally I'd write reams but I'm having s bad time right now so you're lucky to get a rare short post!

Whatever you do, don't use ice anywhere on your body now - its really bad on CRPS skin, causes more pain and spread. Just mentioning it as you said you've got swelling. Don't let any medic use a BP cuff or do a blood test or give injection in the limb that has it either. Some sites like rsdhope have great advice you can print off and give to your doc/nurse.

Try unperfumed Epsom salts - a few tbsp in a warm bath, or wrapped in a damp cloth and put on the burning areas. We need the magnesium and skin absorbs it well. It's not instant, but if you use it regularly it's good. You can get it in a cream too - not to use like a moisturiser but just to rub some in.

Am really flagging at mo, can't keep eyes open, sorry. Other folk will be along with more useful stuff soon. Hang on in there and keep posting. Try deep breathing exercises to help control pain and stress too, good natural pain reliever, meditation is also good - I use Mindfulness ones (YouTube).

Bram.

Oh goodness...the inability to use a hand is a terrible thing. I've had the swollen sausage fingers and also times where my hand completely freezes...usually IN a fist...and I cannot unbend my fingers without a lot of force (and a LOT of pain).

They key with RSD is the constant movement. You don't want to immobilize if you can help it because that only makes things worse. That...and you want to avoid ice at all costs.

I find that hot baths with Epsom salts help me a lot. I also use lidocaine cream and I find that can help to take the edge off the pain a little (not a lot...but I will take it).

When my hand freezes up...I just keep trying to move it. Little wiggle by little wiggle...I gradually increase the movement until I get the full range back. Sometimes this takes several days during a bad flare to get back to normal...but I get there eventually.

The way I have always approached my exercises and therapy is that it needs to mimic the way your heart works...beats then rests then beats then rests then beats then rests, etc. You don't ever want to overdo it all at once and push yourself too hard...you have to balance the movement with rest in equal parts so that you keep moving forward and minimize setbacks.

Good luck to you and take care.

no hot or cold water contrast therapy or aggressive physio either.
With the hand you may be lucky diagnosed quickly and if you're given the correct treatment. unfortunately I,m 4 1/2 years in, it's obvious there's seriously problems with my hand just by looking at it and the only way to stop my fingers flexing, if I don't then they seize solid