What started as a simple ankle sprain has left a Texas teenager completely wheelchair bound as she now faces years of medical treatment and testing. In 2022, teenager Allison (who does not wish to share her full name) was playing a game of Capture the Flag with friends when she jumped over a bench and got her foot caught. At the time, Allison, 19, was told that she suffered a grade two ankle sprain and a talar neck bone bruise.
For months after the incident, Allison had to wear a leg brace while her ankle healed. However, she told Newsweek that she started to think “it was more than a sprain” around six weeks after it happened. Around eight weeks after the injury occurred, Allison noticed that she could only walk on her tip toes as her foot was permanently arched.
She explained that it felt “very tight” and would frequently spasm. This led Allison to see a physical therapist, but even they were unable to flatten her foot. It was bent awkwardly and my wrist was flexed.
This then spread to my right hand and then my right leg,” she said. In addition to her foot being frozen in position, Allison endured significant pain in her body. She could not explain the symptoms, and it was clear that her ankle was not healing from the sprain as expected.
When she saw her local orthopedic specialist, Allison believes they saw a teen girl and simply “blamed it on anxiety.” It was only when she sought a second opinion that her concerns were taken seriously, as a neurological specialist was also brought onto the case. Although she was finally undergoing countless scans and tests, that did not stop Allison’s condition from deteriorating even more. She began experiencing tremors in January 2023, and her hand was stuck in a flexed position.
Doctors initially believed she could have dystonia, a movement disorder that causes muscles to contract. It can cause muscle spasms in a particular area of the body and can worsen with stress or fatigue, according to Mayo Clinic. However, following further analysis, Allison’s doctors remain unsure about that diagnosis.
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