The remainder of his exam was within normal limits except for significant muscle weakness in his upper body and low reflexes in his arms and legs. This didn’t seem the case for this boy, as his family seemed genuinely concerned, and he was still in his soccer gear as he lay on the examining room bed.Īn assessment of his breathing and circulation were normal and a quick check of his sugar level, which can identify issues such as hypoglycemia, was normal. There have been several recent cases of children in our clinic with conversion disorders where after experiencing a significant emotional trauma, an individual feels a loss of all muscle strength, but all physical tests are normal and an inciting stressful event is usually identified. He did not have a fever and the rest of his vital signs were normal.
He could hardly stand and his parents had to carry him into the exam room. A previously healthy 11-year-old boy came into our emergency room with leg pains and muscle weakness after he had played soccer and then binged on chocolate chip cookies.
