The diagnosis for what is now known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) has undergone several changes throughout history. Here’s a brief overview:

Early Descriptions:

• 16th Century: Ambroise Paré first reported cases with CRPS-like symptoms following phlebotomy (bloodletting).
• 1864: Silas Mitchell described similar symptoms in soldiers with gunshot wounds, calling it “causalgia.”

Later Terminology:

• 1943: John J. Lear coined the term “reflex sympathetic dystrophy” (RSD) to describe the condition.
• Other terms used included:
  • Shoulder-hand syndrome
  • Algodystrophy
  • Sudeck atrophy

Modern Diagnosis:

• 1993: The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) introduced the term Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), further categorized into CRPS type 1 (formerly RSD) and type 2 (formerly causalgia).

Therefore, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) was the most common diagnosis used before CRPS became the standard term in 1993.