Our Pain Management Program is a specialized inpatient program for children and adolescents, 9-21 years of age, afflicted by RND. RND is a very painful condition. It usually affects the limb (a foot or leg more commonly than a hand or arm), but can cause pain anywhere on the body. Some children have pain all over while a few have intermittent attacks of pain. The pain these children experience, however, is much more intense than one would normally expect because the pain signal is amplified. RND is also known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome (AMPS), childhood fibromyalgia, and complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).  Diagnosing RND can be difficult because while many children do not have any underlying illness to explain the pain, many of the symptoms are physical in nature.

There are typically three factors that cause RND: trauma, illness, or psychological stress. Approximately 10-20% of children require pain management due to an injury, which may include post-traumatic injury. As the injury heals, the pain continues.  Illness, like mononucleosis, influenza, or gastroenteritis, is a less frequent, but other cause. Finally, psychological stress, due to family, school, or other factors, may play a part.