Her parents became frantic contacting local doctors who had no answers and some who even said that her problem was all psychological so all they did was prescribe high doses of ibuprofen.

It wasn’t until three years later that doctors at the Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital diagnosed her with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).

As Lacy’s mother Vicki Walker said,”Physicians are not in tune with RSD.  That’s a huge problem.”

And this really is a huge problem that many kids with RSD are still not being diagnosed early.  Of course its difficult to diagnose RSD / CRPS because there are no easy blood tests or x-rays that can tell that a person has RSD.

The good news for Lacy was that once she was diagnosed with RSD she began months of intensive physical therapy which was necessary to “reboot” her nervous system.

Lacy’s RSD is now in remission and she has resumed a normal life of a thirteen year old.

But Lacy’s story reminds us that we should help make people aware of RSD/CRPS so that it can be diagnosed quickly so that treatments can begin immediately.

Coaches, trainers and school nurses should be made aware of the symptoms of CRPS / RSD so that the athlete can be referred to a sports injury doctor who knows about RSD.

CRPS/RSD is believed to result from a malfunction of part of the nervous system that develops in response to an event the body regards as traumatic, such as an injury or surgery. Nerves misfire, sending constant pain signals to the brain. In addition to moderate-to-severe pain, tell-tale symptoms include hypersensitivity to touch, abnormal swelling, abnormal skin color, changes in skin temperature, sweating, limited range of movement, and movement disorders in the affected area.

RSDSA has an excellent brochure: CRPS/RSD and Sports Injuries:  Prevention is the Name of the Game.  Print it out and give it to your coaches and school athletic departments.