Transverse myelopathy: influence of body position as a cause.

A 37-year-old man developed an acute onset of paraplegia after traveling about 4 1/2 hr in the cab of a moving truck, sitting "crouched over, Indian style," with trunk flexed forward and the lower extremities in flexion, abduction, and external rotation. A diagnosis of transverse myelitis with probable spinal cord infarct was made. The sudden onset in this case supports a vascular origin, with body position as an important factor leading to vascular compromise of the spinal cord.