Tips you told us
from your experience of RSD/CRPS

Cooling the muscles whilst exercising

From Derrick Phillips (RSD Alert Editor)

Successful physiotherapy (PT) treatment depends on good cooperation between patient and therapist, and I am grateful to report that mine was successful. However, that doesn't mean it was easy. It is hard to keep going with the exercises when your limb (in my case the left hand and wrist) gets more and more painful as the session progresses. My arm seemed to get hotter and hotter, which I think was a combination of the RSD pain itself and the burning effect you get from tired muscles (I used to get that during training for marathons). The solution I found was to cool the affected parts every 5 minutes or so, until the session was complete. I would put a bucket of cold water on a towel beside my char and another towel on my lap. When the heat built up I would dip the arm into the water and hold it there until the pain subsided. Then I would dry my arm and carry on with the exercises. I was careful not to overdo things (remembering from athletics training that you have to pace yourself to avoid injury). However, these regular 20-30 minute sessions 4 times a day were gradually effecting in restoring flexibility and banishing the pain. It took nine months, and it hurt a lot, but I could not have kept it up without this trick.

One other thing…
I was working and travelling (even including one trip to Australia) so the bucket of water wasn't always appropriate. The alternative solution was to wrap a cool pack round my wrist every so often. These cool packs can be bought from a pharmacy and are just sealed plastic packs of a jelly-like substance that holds the heat (or cold) well. I was able to put it in a refrigerator between sessions then bring it out to use when I needed it. The airline even co-operated by putting it in the galley ice box!
Where there's a will there's a way.