Abstract
In a study of 19 patients with traumatic quadriplegia admitted to the G. F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre over a one-year period, there was a high incidence of bizarre painful hands and feet coincident with a particular radiological stage of osteoporosis—spotty macular porosis (Sudeck's atrophy).
Four of 5 patients with spotty macular porosis in the hands and 3 of 7 patients with spotty macular porosis in the feet complained of bizarre pain. In the only instance of unilateral spotty macular porosis, the pain was confined to the affected hand. Where the X-rays of the hands or feet showed simple osteoporosis, 1 patient had painful hands. All patients with normal X-rays of the hands and feet were asymptomatic. The neurological level of injury was at C7 in all 6 patients with coincident pain and spotty macular porosis.
A further prospective study with X-rays taken at regular intervals after spinal trauma might confirm the coincidence of symptomatic painful hands and feet and radiological spotty macular porosis.
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Andrews, L., Armitage, K. Sudeck's atrophy in traumatic quadriplegia. Spinal Cord 9, 159–165 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.1971.27
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.1971.27