Korean J Pain.  2018 Jan;31(1):54-57. 10.3344/kjp.2018.31.1.54.

Lumbar burner and stinger syndrome in an elderly athlete

• Wegener V
• Stäbler A
• Jansson V
• Birkenmaier C
• Wegener B

• KMID: 2400909
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3344/kjp.2018.31.1.54

Abstract

Burner or stinger syndrome is a rare sports injury caused by direct or indirect trauma during high-speed or contact sports mainly in young athletes. It affects peripheral nerves, plexus trunks or spinal nerve roots, causing paralysis, paresthesia and pain. We report the case of a 57-year-old male athlete suffering from burner syndrome related to a lumbar nerve root. He presented with prolonged pain and partial paralysis of the right leg after a skewed landing during the long jump. He was initially misdiagnosed since the first magnet resonance imaging was normal whereas electromyography showed denervation. The insurance company refused to pay damage claims. Partial recovery was achieved by pain medication and physiotherapy. Burner syndrome is an injury of physically active individuals of any age and may appear in the cervical and lumbar area. MRI may be normal due to the lack of complete nerve transection, but electromyography typically shows pathologic results.

Keyword

Athletic injuries; Lumbar vertebrae; Neuralgia; Pain burning; Spine; Trauma nervous system

MeSH Terms

Aged*
Athletes*
Athletic Injuries
Denervation
Electromyography
Humans
Insurance
Leg
Lumbar Vertebrae
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Middle Aged
Neuralgia
Paralysis
Paresthesia
Peripheral Nerves
Spinal Nerve Roots
Spine
Sports

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Lumbar magnet resonance imaging. Magnet resonance imaging of the lumbar spine three days after the injury, showing an intraforaminal hourglass-shaped constriction of the right fifth lumbar nerve root in axial T2-weighted turbo-spin-echo sequences (A) and the axial T1-weighted sequences (B). The hourglass-shaped constriction can hardly be identified in the proton-density-weighted coronary sequence (C). There is no nerve transection or rupture. The sagittal stir sequence of the lumbar spine shows only mild degenerative changes of the lumbar discs without relevant protrusions (D).

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