Abstract
The population of persons with reflex sympathetic dystrophy comprises of a presently undocumented percentage of the caseloads of rehabilitation counselors working with injured workers. The reference and occurrence of reflex sympathetic dystrophy is widely noted in the medical literature and rehabilitation counselors are faced with the difficult task of prompting vocational independence, thus requiring an increased level of technical proficiency on the part of the practitioner. The phenomenon of reflex sympathetic dystrophy is a rehabilitation challenge and involves physiological happenings of the sympathetic nervous system, psychological factors and a multitude of other characteristics of the injured worker. The current article reviews the many factors which can transform a minor injury into reflex sympathetic dystrophy. It assists the rehabilitation counselor in becoming technically more knowledgeable regarding the physiology of the sympathetic nervous system, mechanisms of worker compensations systems and offers specific principles to guide the vocational practitioner during the rehabilitation process.
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