Orvel Howard's battle with RSDS began in November of 1992 when he suffered a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder during a work-related accident. Corrective surgery was performed on March 3, 1993. Almost immediately after waking from the surgery, Orvel lost feeling in his left hand and lower left forearm. Accompanying this loss of feeling was a persistent burning sensation. The doctors diagnosed that the burning feelings were merely side effects stemming from the surgery and that they would suppress after time.

Orvel spent four weeks recovering from the surgery, each day conscious of the increasing level of burning pain. One week after the surgery, the loss of feeling and burning sensation subsided in his right index finger, thumb and wrist. Orvel was sent back to the workplace after the four-week recovery period for light duty work, utilizing his right hand for work only. His duties included simple office tasks but the contact with paper and other office materials did nothing more for his recovery than amplify the already dominant burning pain in his hands.

That week, Orvel was rushed to the emergency room because the pain was unbearable. The fiery pain was so extreme that sedatives were given to calm him down. Painkillers temporarily eased the pain so that the emergency room neurologist could develop a diagnosis. The neurologist on site did not deny that there was something wrong with Orvel, but every test came up negative. This mysterious complex of symptoms did not lead the physicians to any answers. The final, yet inaccurate, diagnosis made was that of Carpel Tunnel Syndrome.

Orvel sought out a second opinion after the first neurologist's unacceptable diagnosis. The second physician performed an EMG (electromyogram) to scope the muscles and nerves in the affected area. This neurologist also could not find any physical discrepancies that could be causing the burning sensations and the final diagnosis was again Carpel Tunnel Syndrome.

A third opinion was sought on April 3rd of that same year. The neurologist performed more extensive testing on Orvel's left arm including a second EMG, an MRI and exploratory surgery. This doctor also came up empty handed and concluded that Orvel had a pinched nerve in his left elbow.

Orvel's left arm was placed in a sling to disable movement as part of his recovery from the second surgery. The immobilization of the arm immediately caused the joints in his arm to freeze. Physical therapy could not be performed on Orvel's arm because of the rigidity of the joints. The entire left arm swelled to three or four times its normal size, causing his skin to break as a result of the inflammation. By this time, the burning pain had traveled up Orvel's left arm to his shoulder and up his right arm to the elbow.

In early May, Orvel visited the Mayo Clinic for a fourth opinion. Twelve or more physicians were involved with Orvel's treatment over a two-week period. A third EMG was done and Orvel underwent extraneous therapy at Mayo Clinic. Towards the end of the two-week therapy session, Orvel was able to move his arms slightly, a small but tremendous victory.

Orvel was sent home to a local hospital's physical therapy program for one and a half months of therapy sessions five days a week. Whenever he was not at the hospital for physical therapy, he was at home performing personal physical therapy. Eight hours a day Orvel's arms were strapped into a JAC chair, a motorized physical therapy chair that applied force to flex and extend his arm to a fixed distance. Each cycle of flexion and extension worked to improve the mobility of Orvel's shoulder and elbow. Each day showing improvement, Orvel pushed himself to the limits. Orvel refused to accept his current range of motion and this fueled his determination to improve and force himself into excruciating pain with each pass of the machine. Therapists and doctors witnessed forward progress that was unthinkable. Orvel regained motion in his arms that he thought he would never see again.