• Luna is an eight-year-old girl who suffered from this painful syndrome, which appears after a fracture, surgery or immobilisation
• Dr Francisco Piñal performed surgery on the little girl to unblock the nerves that were causing her so much pain

Experts define Sudeck’s disease as ‘a neurovegetative disorder that arises from an erroneous reaction of our body to a fracture, surgery, trauma or immobilisation’. Although rare, its consequences can be severe and cause complex regional pain in the individual, which is difficult to bear (and also to diagnose).

Although its causes are not fully understood, this pain, which can occur even after correctly following the treatment prescribed by doctors, may be caused by: the injury being accompanied by significant stress, the fracture or injury being immobilised for longer than necessary, or, during the inflammation phase, some anti-inflammatory drugs prevent proper regeneration, there is a continuous injury in the same area, or the patient has a metabolic disorder.

Its symptoms are very noticeable and uncomfortable, to the point that something as necessary as sleeping can become a real nightmare due to the simple touch of the sheets, as reported by journalist Silvia Asiain. This is what happened to Luna, an eight-year-old girl who started with pain in her ankle, which was mistaken for a sprain, until the same thing happened to her wrist. ‘When I washed my hands, it felt like I had thumbtacks stuck in them, the pain was unbearable,’ said Luna, who could no longer walk with crutches and had to use a wheelchair.

She also had to learn to write with her left hand because she didn’t want to miss classes, but the situation was very difficult for her until a physiotherapist diagnosed her daughter Luna’s condition: Sudeck’s syndrome. Thanks to the care and intervention of this specialist, the girl has been able to regain mobility in both parts of her body without having to take the strong medication prescribed for this condition.

According to Ana, her mother, Luna ‘screamed in pain’ when she got into bed, so they had to add wooden arches to the structure so that the sheets would not rub against her skin. It should be noted that oedema, burning sensation and inflammation are symptoms of this condition. Luna suffered from these symptoms until Dr Francisco Piñal performed a minimally invasive operation to unblock the nerves that were causing her pain.

With the information provided by the physiotherapist, the little girl’s parents began a journey of medical appointments. This condition, which can be disabling, is usually treated with very strong medication, and they were not offered any other options, but Francisco Piñal, a surgeon at La Luz University Hospital in Madrid, gave them hope.

A doctor who had already operated on other patients with the same diagnosis and, after many years of work, had found a way to make the pain disappear in 94% of cases. More than 70%, says Dr Piñal, as soon as the anaesthetic wears off, they move the joint and it doesn’t hurt. Shortly after the operation, Luna was fine and today she has no discomfort.

Since then, the little girl’s life has been completely different. She can jump rope, run, dance, and has returned to playing the cello. ‘I’ve recovered!’ she writes with perfect spelling, using her right hand. Now, after so much suffering, nothing can wipe the beautiful smile off Luna’s face.