Hi. I am new to this site and was just diagnosed with rsd/crps. I was at work and went into a quick squat (and they always say exercise is good for u...hahaha) and tore my popliteus muscle (muscle behind the knee) and tore a ligament in my ankle (inside portion) which I didn't find until 3 months after the injury. My foot and leg filled with blood and fluid, which in turn damaged my nerves. Anyway, I came out of the fluid left with rsd/crps of my right foot. I have been going to therapy and now going on the 5th month, am not sure if this is going away. I've been reading eveything that I can read on this and it seems that no certain regimen is a protocol for everyone dealing with this horrible beast. I'm now starting to feel weakness and pain going up my leg, not sure if that is the symptom of spreading or not???? Not sure what to do or where to go from here. Trying to get some blocks and go do more therapy. Anyway, I'm trying to read all of ur stories (which give me some hope) but it's hard to retain all the information because I have so much on my mind....very nice to meet u all and hope all get a break from the pain. Thanks!

I just read your story in the other thread. If you start experiencing the same symptoms in a wider area, or in another area of your body, that's what spreading is.

All I can say is, hang in there. Never lose courage. It's hard to find something that works for you individually, and this goes for everyone with RSD. There's no one size fits all.

I hope the regimen you're on works for you. There are so many options out there these days and that's a definite plus, unfortunately there's not a cure yet, so it's going to be a struggle. We've all been there, and most of us are still there... day after day.

Hi Tosha,
Glad you found the boards! Sorry for the double whammy of your knee and ankle!! It's good that you are getting blocks right away as the sooner you begin tratment, the sooner you can slow down any progression! Do as much research as you can and educate yourself so that when you have your appointments you can participate and advocate for yourself and be prepared to understand the doctors' recommendations. You may not agree with their recommendations, and this board is a wonderful sounding board for advice and feedback!
Take good care,
hope4thebest

Hi Tosha and Welcome,
I'm so sorry you have RSD. It's good you are learning as much as you possibly can about it. When I was diagnosed, it was four years following the surgery that brought on my RSD. The Dr. diagnosed me is less than a minute, ordered a Tens Unit, Ordered physical therapy. I added massage therapy to soften up tissue for further progress. I had frozen shoulder - Besides the physical and massage therapy, I went thru desensitization.That is important at the beginning, because we can't stand to be touched or clothing, or wind blowing on us. In addition to the therapy, I did the desensitization at home every day. I took 5-6 plastic bowls and filled them with cotton balls, sand, coffee grounds, rice, popcorn kernels, etc. That helped a lot. Run hands thru these bowls or feet. I think the Tens Unit helped me to. It's a small like rectangle with batteries. It has lead wires with round patches on the end. You put the patches on the senstive area and you can control strength of pulses and timing of pulses. It helps he pain by interrupting the pain signals to the brain. I guess sort of like the SCS, but without surgery.
Be sure and read and research as much as you can before you do anything. Some procedures have made some people much worse and spread. Two places for good research are RSDSA It a national organization. Under support, you can put your zip code and find the closest support group near you with contactname and phone number.
Also a retired Dr. Hooshmand still has his website up at rsdrx.com It's good -under puzzles there are 140 questions by patients with his answers. Don give up and stay positive. It helps a lot. RSD affects the Limbic part of the brain that controls emotions, short term memory, sometimes we grasp for works, can't remember them or lose our train of thought. depressions is common as well as anxiety. Most of us are on anti-depressants that help and anti-anxiety helps calm the nervous system down.
Take care, your friend, loretta