A painful wasting of the muscles of the hands, often accompanied by tenderness and a loss of bone calcium: Bert's doctor told him that his algodystrophy probably started in his hands, or in his shoulder, and it spread over his entire arm, causing his loss of joint motion because of structural changes in his muscles, ligaments, or tendons.

For some people, algodystrophy may start in the feet or legs and it could be associated with an injury, a heart disease, a stroke, or a viral infection.