Understanding the Complexity of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy

There is no unanimity on what causes RSD. Is it an autoimmune disease, a psychological illness, etc.? This can be a problem in work related injuries, motor vehicle accidents, medical malpractice claims, other bodily injuries etc. where medical causation is an issue. In other words, who is responsible for the payment of the medical claims and lost wages related to RSD? What is known however is that an opportune diagnosis must be done in a timely fashion and a sympathetic blockade if medically indicated must be performed within 16 weeks from the date of injury to recover from this extremely painful entity. Furthermore, early mobilization and range of motion are extremely important to decrease disability if CRPS is suspected as a possible diagnosis.

Dr. William Ackerman is a graduate of Spring Hill College and the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He is Board Certified in Pain Management and Anesthesiology. He did his anesthesiology residency at the University of Kentucky and his pain fellowship at Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas under the guidance of Dr. Gabor Racz, an internationally renown pain specialist. Dr. Ackerman has published thirteen books and 135 scientific papers. He has been director of pain medicine at a University Medical center. He has lectured to many varied audiences including Workers Compensation meetings as well as a bar association meeting. He has been on the Editorial Board of two medical journals. He has been awarded research grants including a prestigious grant from the Association of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. Dr. William Ackerman has expertise in the treatment of a variety of chronic painful conditions including neck and low back pain, intractable neuropathic pain, shingles, joint pain, myofascial pain, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), cancer-related pain etc. He uses a multi-modal Evidence Based Medicine approach to his patient treatments. He does not believe that "a one size fits all" approach is appropriate in pain management. His patients are diverse and therefore so are his treatments for his patients. He has published books addressing gender, age and ethnicity and how these factors affect pain management. He is an expert medical witness involving RSD litigation cases. He is a co author of the chapter on neuropathic pain (CRPS) in the AMA Guides to Disease and Injury Causation (Second Edition. He has presented his CRPS research at international meetings. Dr. Ackerman is well published in RSD (CRPS). This book is directed toward patients, family members, nurse case workers, insurance adjusters, attorneys and any one else who may have a desire to understand RSD. He was previously selected to "Who's who in International Medicine".