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Introduction to Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy and Stroke
The incidence of reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) in post-stroke patients is thought to be severely underdiagnosed. There are some reports that the incidence may be as high as 60% of patients. In this population, RSD is usually found in the upper extremity and is also known as shoulder-hand syndrome. It shares the same underlying problem encountered with most cases of RSD, namely immobilization of the limb.
In a study that appeared in the International Journal of Rehabilitation and Research in 2007, researchers reported that the incidence of RSD was 48% of the 82 patients included in the study in the first 28 weeks following the stroke. They noted that the presence of RSD was significantly correlated with the presence of:
- Shoulder subluxation - a partial dislocation of the shoulder joint
- Spasticity of shoulder muscles
- Loss of range of motion in the shoulder joint
- Loss of muscle strength
To read more about the relationship between stroke and RSD, please click on the following link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17293718
