CMC Vellore doctor cracks the case of a 15-year-old who suddenly couldn't walk. Blood tests were normal, MRI was clear. What happened?
A 15-year-old girl, Riya, experienced sudden leg weakness, leading to her inability to walk, baffling doctors with normal test results. Neurologist Dr. Kumar discovered the root cause was relentless body shaming at school, manifesting as Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). With therapy, counselling, and a supportive environment, Riya recovered, eventually excelling in basketball.
Dr Sudhir Kumar shared a case of a teenager who suddenly lost the ability to walk and became wheelchair-bound. (Istock/X) It started like something out of a medical thriller. A perfectly healthy 15-year-old suddenly couldn't walk, despite every test—from blood work to MRIs—coming back squeaky clean. Her parents were frantic, her doctors were baffled, and her wheelchair became a daily reality. The twist? The culprit wasn't hiding in her nerves or her spine but in a place no MRI could scan—the weight of words.Dr. Sudhir Kumar, a Hyderabad-based neurologist, recently shared this case on X. The patient, Riya (name changed), was no ordinary teenager. A bright student, a passionate debater, and a budding painter, she had a busy life until it was abruptly hijacked by sudden leg pain and weakness. Within two weeks, her independence was gone, replaced by a wheelchair. For her, it felt like life had slammed the brakes overnight.
Her parents tried everything. The family physician ordered rounds of blood tests—vitamin levels, electrolytes, you name it. All clear. A neurologist followed up with MRIs of her brain and spine and even nerve conduction studies. Again, nothing. The family was advised to do a lumbar puncture, but before putting their daughter through more invasive tests, they decided to seek a second opinion from Dr. Kumar.When he met her, Dr. Kumar noticed something unusual. Riya described her story in detail, calmly but with an undercurrent of sadness. On examination, one clue stood out: Hoover's sign, a neurological test, pointed toward a non-organic weakness. Something wasn't adding up. Her symptoms were real, but they didn't match any typical neurological disease.
So, he asked the most important question of all: 'Would you like to talk alone?' — hyderabaddoctor (@hyderabaddoctor) That's when the truth finally surfaced. Riya had been enduring relentless body shaming at school. Her classmates mocked her weight and her glasses, whittling down her confidence one cruel remark at a time. When she shared this with her parents, they encouraged her to 'stay strong,' but the taunts continued. Too scared to confide in teachers, she bottled up her pain—until her body spoke for her.The diagnosis was Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), a condition where emotional and psychological distress show up as real neurological symptoms. In Riya's case, the stress had literally taken away her ability to walk.Dr. Kumar explained this carefully to her parents, making sure they understood it wasn't 'acting' or 'faking.' With the right support—a combination of therapy, counselling, and physiotherapy—Riya could recover. And she did.With her parents looping in her teachers, the environment around her began to shift. The teachers responded with rare sensitivity, her classmates slowly softened, and she regained her strength both physically and emotionally.Within three weeks, Riya was back on her feet. Within months, she was running—and not just metaphorically. She surprised everyone, including herself, by joining the school basketball team. Six months later, she walked back into Dr. Kumar's clinic carrying a trophy almost as big as her smile: Player of the Tournament at the interschool basketball championship.
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