Published in:
Open Access 01-12-2024 | Nerve Injury | Case report
Left common peroneal nerve palsy caused by cross-legged sitting during epidural labor analgesia: a case report
Published in: JA Clinical Reports | Issue 1/2024
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Background
Nerve injury in epidural labor analgesia can occur with various potential causes. We report a rare case of left common peroneal nerve palsy after delivery caused by a prolonged period of sitting cross-legged during epidural labor.
Case report
Epidural labor analgesia in a 28-year-old primipara started at 39 weeks of gestation. She sat cross-legged to prompt delivery for approximately 4 h with a break of a few minutes every hour. She had numbness in her left lower limb and difficulty in dorsiflexion of the ankle joint that did not improve until 3 h after delivery. We made a diagnosis of left common peroneal nerve palsy. Most of the symptoms had improved at 2 months postpartum.
Conclusion
Epidural labor analgesia prevented recognition of prolonged peroneal head compression caused by sitting cross-legged. When this position is used to facilitate delivery, it should be released frequently owing to the possibility of a neurologic deficit.