MERALGIA PARESTHETICA CAUSED BY THORACOLUMBAR BRACE IN CONSERVATIVELY TREATED THORACOLUMBAR FRACTURES

Özet

Objective: Lateral femoral cutaneous neuropathy or meralgia paresthetica (MP) occurs for various reasons. MP developing after spine surgery is not uncommon and is mostly due to the prone position during surgery or iliac graft harvesting. However, it is usually overlooked due to mild symptoms and a self-limiting course. The purpose of this study was to present a case series of five patients who were followed up with conservative treatment for vertebral fractures and developed MP after prolonged use of lumbar braces. Materials and Methods: The sample comprised five patients with thoracolumbar fractures who did not meet the surgical criteria of the Thoracolumbar Injury Classification and Severity score and who were advised to use lumbar braces for 8 weeks and to return to the outpatient department. These patients did not present for follow-up due to the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and continued to use the lumbar brace for more than the advised 8 weeks. A retrospective evaluation of age, sex, body mass index (BMI), comorbidities, and duration of brace use was conducted. Results: Three of the five patients were male with an average age of 61±18 years, average BMI of 29.3±4.8 kg/m2, (after excluding the young and normal-weight patient, the average age and BMI increased to 70±5 years and 31.6±1.5 kg/m2, respectively), and an average brace use duration of 18.4±3.2 weeks. Three patients presented with MP on the left side. Conclusion: Although tight-fitting pants/corsets/belts/body armor can cause MP, no cases of MP caused by lumbar braces used for conservative treatment of vertebral fractures have been reported. This case series arose from the effects of COVID-19, as the patients wanted to stay home.