Cramp in cases of prolapsed intervertebral disc.

Although cramp has been mentioned as a symptom by several writers on the subject of prolapsed intervertebral discs (Bradford and Spurling, 1941; O'Connell, 1943; Lenhard, 1947) no study has hitherto been made of its exact nature, frequency, and relationships. It was not until the routine follow-up of cases of sciatica, which had been treated surgically, was begun that it was noticed that the symptom of painful cramps in the leg was fairly common in postoperative cases. This served to focus attention on the symptom, and an inquiry about it was therefore made in all cases, both before and after operation. The purpose of this paper is to record these observations, and if possible to relate the' symptom to conditions found at, or produced by, the operation, and to discuss the symptom in relation to theories now held on the atiology of muscle cramp.