What is man in a barrel syndrome?
Man in a barrel syndrome is not to be confused with vacationers to Niagara Falls! Neurologically, this syndrome refers to individuals who suffer from hyperextension injuries to the neck.
This results in quadriplegia in the acute phase, with the arms being much weaker than the legs (like a man with a barrel around his chest).
Urinary retention and patchy sensory loss may occur.
Recovery of strength may spontaneously occur within minutes to hours, or the deficits may be permanent.
Damage to the central gray matter is hypothesized to cause the syndrome.
