this is not a new thing i am a first hand witness to this real but widely un talked about subject with rsd there are a few factor's i bieleve are extremly important i realized over time that i watched her rsd progress we were unsure of the cause then wee started thinking she was havivng a lot of pain in her ight hand and arm also she had been through a lumpectomy on her right breast and were thinking without the knwolege coud the doctor accidenly hit a nerve that in turn caused a response known as rsd rumatoid sympathetic distrophy now if the cause of her pain and now her finger's are bent in and upward so this is real you have to think what did i do did i have a cut as a child or have i hit a nerve by mistake in an accident wich does not start to show for a number of year's with this information maybee doctor's and patient's can learn the cause and best how to reat rsd until there aware of the cause there is no cure .
Has your friend considered a cervical MRI??? if for no other reason rule it out--- xray wont show problems in discs only a mri or ct scan ---sometimes (we or docs) get so focused on the obvious and from alot of trial error alot of pains travel down arms and had into fingers stems from our necks. Just a thought ---Wish you the best !!