Introduction In the United States, 54 million people have a disability and only 15 percent are born with a disability (Jaeger and Bowman, 2005). If a person lives long enough, it is statistically likely that they will develop some form of disability during their later years (Jaeger & Bowman, 2005). At some point in your life, you may have suffered a broken bone, a minor cut, or undergo surgery. Imagine that after a minor injury that you may not even remember, you feel constant pain so excruciating that no amount of painkillers can make you comfortable (Lang and Moskovitz, 2003). Some additional symptoms you may also experience are intense burning pain, bone and skin changes, excessive sweating, tissue swelling, and extreme sensitivity to touch (Juris, 2005). These symptoms are associated with a condition called reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), but more recently called complex regional pain syndrome, type 1 (CRPS 1) (Juris, 2005). For simplification purposes, this disease will be referred to as RSD throughout this article. The purpose of this article is to discuss an invisible disease called reflex sympathetic dystrophy and its impact on an individual's life. The framework that will be used is the strength and empowerment perspective to show a coping mechanism to help the individual adapt to the impact of this illness on their life and improve their daily experience dealing with the symptoms of this disease. This article will also discuss four policy recommendations that could be used to improve a patient's overall health and tools to manage this life-changing experience. Reflex Sympathetic DystrophyRSD is a hypersensitized nerve disease that is considered...... middle of article. ....5. doi:10.1046/j.1526-4637.2002.02029.xJaeger, P. & Bowman, C. (2005). Understanding Disability: Inclusion, Access, Diversity, and Civil Rights, Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers. Jansson, B. (2012). Shaping a new society in the desert. In Seth Dorbin, Arwen Petty, and Alicia McLaughlin (Eds.), The Reluctant Welfare State. Location: Linda Schreiber-Ganster. Juris, E. (2005). Positive options for reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD). Berkeley CA: Hunter House Publishers. Lang, L. and Moskovitz, P. (2003). Living with RSDS. Oakland CA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc. Zastrow, C., & Kirst-Ashman, K. (2013). Introduction to human behavior and the social environment. In Seth Dobrin, Arwen Petty, Alicia McLauglin, & Elizabeth Momb (Eds.), Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment. Location: Linda Schreiber Ganster.