Hanging leg syndrome: Combined bilateral femoral and sciatic neuropathies

Abstract

Focal nerve injuries may occur in the setting of depressed consciousness via compression or traction. Such nerve injuries may follow general anesthesia or may develop in the context of hypnotic drug or alcohol intoxication. We report a case of severe, combined, bilateral femoral and sciatic neuropathies in the context of alcohol intoxication. A 43-year-old man with chronic low back pain lost consciousness after a night of heavy alcohol consumption. He lay supine with both legs hanging over the end of his bed. His hips were hyperextended and a wooden footboard impressed into the posterior thighs near the gluteal sulci. He awoke 12 hours later unable to move or feel his legs. Bowel, bladder, and sexual function remained normal. Two months later, he was evaluated for persistent paraparesis and abnormal lower extremity sensation. His examination showed linear violaceous skin impressions at the gluteal sulci corresponding to the points of contact with the footboard (figure). There was severe bilateral …