United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

My wife was diagnosed with BPI but work comp is treating it as RSD. She is now in the 9th month and is in as much pain now as the day the of the injury. Any suggestions???

I have both. RSD has two types, one that is caused from actual nerve damage, and the other from trauma, like surgical incisions, broken bone, sprain, etc.

Your wife's RSD may be a result of her BPI... You need to see both a BPI specialist as well as a RSD specialist. BPI is also very painful so you need to make sure that she has both and not just a very painful BPI.

It took them 4 years to diagnose my RSD, and I was diagnosed with my BPI 3 months after my accident.
Hope this helps.
Gillian

Does any bpi injuries ever go away without surgery?

If it is stretched and not torn off or avulsed it may repair itself, but takes a long time. If there is scar tissue impairing the healing or tearing or avulsed it probably needs surgery.

What does RSD stand for?

Reflex Sympathetic Distrophy... check out this site... I have RSD also!

http://www.rsds.org/

Courtney

Hi,
I am new to the site. I also have a Brachial Plexus Injury with a RSD DX. I am in very rough shape. The Top B/P sugeons say surgeon and the top RSD Docs say no surgery so I understand the confusion here. In my case I think the nerves are entrapped in the right arm and it is causing RSD type SX'x. Does your wife have any pain besides the orginal injury? I do not. The C fibers are involved in the RSD. Does she have entrapment of the nerves? This is rough hang with her. Hugs,roz

no new pain, just the same old burning sensation and somebody stabing a steel rod in her arm from time to time. A couple of her fingers have been numb for 8 monthes now, that leads me to believe she doesn't have RSD but, I'm not the doc. I haven't a clue about C fibers or entrapment of the nerves. This is a work comp case and they are doing bare bones treatment. She had a mri done and that's it. The neurosurgeon she saw recommended surgery and work comp got rid of him and now she is to see an orthopedic doc soon.

no new pain, just the same old burning sensation and somebody stabing a steel rod in her arm from time to time. A couple of her fingers have been numb for 8 monthes now, that leads me to believe she doesn't have RSD but, I'm not the doc. I haven't a clue about C fibers or entrapment of the nerves. This is a work comp case and they are doing bare bones treatment. She had a mri done and that's it. The neurosurgeon she saw recommended surgery and work comp got rid of him and now she is to see an orthopedic doc soon.

no new pain, just the same old burning sensation and somebody stabing a steel rod in her arm from time to time. A couple of her fingers have been numb for 8 monthes now, that leads me to believe she doesn't have RSD but, I'm not the doc. I haven't a clue about C fibers or entrapment of the nerves. This is a work comp case and they are doing bare bones treatment. She had a mri done and that's it. The neurosurgeon she saw recommended surgery and work comp got rid of him and now she is to see an orthopedic doc soon.