JEFFERSON TWP — Like everyone else involved in the curious case of Krista Burdett, UPMC Athletic Trainer Jennifer Wuyscik was perplexed.

She treated Burdett, a South Butler middle school student who injured her hip at the age of 13 while playing soccer.

The hip injury cascaded into a syndrome called Reflex Neurovascular Dystrophy, which causes the brain to misinterpret pain signals.

When Burdett was hurt, her pain didn't correspond to the area of the injury. That was Wuyscik's first clue that something was amiss.

“I couldn't come up with a mechanism of injury,” said Wuyscik, who has been with UPMC for 14 years and has been an athletic trainer for the South Butler School District for six years.

Once Burdett was finally diagnosed with RND, Wuyscik took it upon herself to do research on the syndrome.

Her research led to her featuring Burdett in a case study paper that she presented to the National Athletic Trainer's Association.

“It was just something different, something interesting that I wanted to learn more about,” said Wuyscik, who lives in Sarver. “I got to know Krista and I wanted to help her. She became a personal interest of mine.”

Burdett said Wuyscik's help and support was invaluable.

“She is like an angel to me,” Burdett said. “I don't know where I would be without her.”

Wuyscik's knowledge of RND has led to other diagnoses of the condition around the area.

“I really wanted to put Krista's situation out there,” Wuyscik said. “I just wanted to educate other athletic trainers so if they have an athlete who shows these kinds of symptoms and progression, they might investigate this further.”

Catching RND early is key. If treated early enough, 92 percent of sufferers go into remission.

“The thing is, the sooner you teach kids that they can deal with it, the better,” Wuyscik said.

“I got into this to help people,” she added. “This is more than just taping an ankle. This is a little more life altering and I'm glad I could help.”