RSD/CRPS: Tom's Story

Tom is a 44 year old accountant with a wife and 4 children, living in sunny California.  He is an avid athlete, with 5 marathons behind him and dreams of completing an Iron Man triathlon.  While driving to work on his motorcycle, he was injured in a car wreck. A 17 year old driver who was texting and inattentive broadsided him with a car.  Thankfully, Tom had appropriate riding wear and a helmet which saved his life and limited his injuries to a broken foot.  He did not require surgery and a cast was placed on his foot, with removal scheduled in approximately five weeks.

During those five weeks, Tom’s foot produced severe pain, swelling and itching.. His medical team assured him this was normal and should subside when the bone was healed and cast removed.

After 5 weeks, the cast was removed and the x-rays showed the fracture had healed. He began to work with a physical therapist. Over the next 2 weeks, Tom’s foot and ankle began to swell, became bluish with red patches and was extremely sensitive to touch. At times, it felt as though his foot was on fire. He also suffered from migraine headaches, extreme tiredness and an overall sluggishness. One night, the pain traveled up his entire leg and was so great for Tom that his wife rushed him to the hospital. Tom’s description of the pain was “thousands of knives are stabbing my foot and leg over and over again”. The medical team sedated Tom and began to run a series of tests. He was diagnosed with Type 1 Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy / Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (RSD/CRPS).