A man has been left “paralysed from the waist down” after surgery to treat a rare condition following initial symptoms of uncommon leg weakness. Matt Partington, 27, who used to live in Crystal Palace, has since moved back in with his parents, Nick and Roisin, on the Isle of Wight.
In February, he started experiencing odd sensations in his legs, which felt “weak and wobbly”, almost as if “50% of the muscles had been sucked out.” After seeking medical advice, Matt had an MRI scan at King’s College Hospital in London in July, which resulted in him being diagnosed with spinal arteriovenous malformation (AVM), an unusual blood vessel formation within the spine.
He underwent a spinal operation in August and was aware of the risks involved. However, his surgeon reassured him that the procedure “would be a complete success.”
Distressingly, when Matt awoke from surgery, he discovered he was paralysed from the surgery site downwards owing to a spinal cord injury. Through physiotherapy, he has regained slight movements in his left leg, left foot, and right toes, but doctors say it is “too early to tell” whether he will make a full recovery and have the ability to walk once again.
King’s College Hospital has released a statement commenting that they are keeping a watchful eye on his recuperation and mentioned that “he may continue to regain function in his legs.” Now dependent on a wheelchair, Matt has set up a GoFundMe page to help with his recovery, amassing over £11,000 thus far for neurological physiotherapy and specialised equipment.
“The symptoms I’d been having were probably set in stone due to the nerve damage but in terms of the operation, they thought it would be a complete success,” Matt shared with PA Real Life.
Matt in hospital
(Image: Collect/PA Real Life)
“I think about how life will be down the line but mostly I miss the things I loved, like walking on the beach after swimming, dancing all night at a festival and kicking a football around with mates in summer. You go through all these weird different emotions … I’m just really frustrated this happened.”
It was while working as a chef at a burger restaurant that Matt began to experience odd sensations in his legs back in February. “I could still stand and walk but my legs felt a bit wobbly.” The sensation in his legs persisted for about half an hour before dissipating and he “didn’t think too much of it”, he said.
However, over the following months, he noticed that the sensations would return sporadically before their duration and frequency increased until he was experiencing it for around an hour every few days. Matt continued: “It felt like my legs weren’t working properly – I couldn’t walk very fast or get up the stairs”
He also experienced urinary hesitancy which led him to become “really worried” he may have had prostate cancer. In June, Matt arranged an appointment at his GP surgery and was booked in for a blood test.
However, his doctor noticed on his medical records that he had complained of lower back pain around four years ago – which was later thought to be attributed to the spinal AVM. “I’d always had lower back pain, it’s never been that bad and has always been quite sporadic – I can always get up and go on with my day,” Matt explained.
As a result, his doctor wanted to send him for an MRI scan at his nearest hospital, King’s College Hospital in Camberwell, London, and he went to A&E. There, Matt underwent three scans on his bladder and an MRI.
“The good news is they thought they knew what it was, the bad news was they had found an abnormality in my back,” Matt said. On July 29, Matt received his diagnosis of a spinal AVM, a rare condition where a tangle of blood vessels form on, in or near the spinal cord, according to the NHS.
“I didn’t know what an AVM was and I was completely delirious at that point,” he admitted. He was sent for further tests and then scheduled for surgery on August 5 to disconnect the blood supply to the damaged veins, which were posing a risk to his spinal cord. Before his operation, Matt had the chance to leave the hospital for the weekend, spending precious moments with friends and family, unaware it would be the last time he could walk.
Recounting the moment he realised he was paralysed, he shared: “Initially when I woke up I was still pretty out of it, I don’t think I really understood what happened the first day.” He continued, “I remember I kept thinking, ‘I’m going to wake up tomorrow and my legs are going to work’.”
Matt revealed that his lead surgeon was visibly upset by his paralysis, saying, “My lead surgeon seemed pretty down about the fact my legs weren’t working – his reaction wasn’t a good one,” and “He didn’t say a lot, he just seemed pretty disappointed.”
The initial days were incredibly tough, yet within weeks, Matt managed to independently transfer from his bed to his wheelchair. After completing a three-month physiotherapy programme at King’s College Hospital, he spent another six weeks at The London Spinal Cord Injury Centre in Stanmore.
On December 3, Matt returned to his parents’ home on the Isle of Wight, where he continues weekly physiotherapy sessions. Reflecting on his journey, Matt said, “You get home and it all gets really real, what’s happened.”
“You’re no longer around specialists who know what they are doing – it’s just you on your own,” he expressed, after having regained movement in his left leg, allowing him to bring it in and out, bend it, and also his left foot and toes on his right foot. Regarding further recovery, he’s been told it’s “too early to tell. I’m still super positive, I’m still doing everything I can, it’s a waiting game.”
He acknowledged that his condition could have deteriorated significantly if not detected, saying: “If they hadn’t caught it, they told me I would have gone paralysed from the waist down anyway. It getting caught when it did might end up meaning I have a chance of walking again.”
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust commented: “We are sorry to hear that Mr Partington is not happy with the care he received. As with all patients undergoing planned surgery, Mr Partington underwent a detailed consultation with his clinical team prior to his operation, in which he was informed about the risks of surgery, including the potential for spinal cord or spinal nerve damage.
The statement continued: “He also had extensive discussions with the treating team after surgery to explain the outcome and his prognosis. Our teams are committed to supporting patients before, during and after surgery, and we will continue to monitor Mr Partington’s progress. He may continue to regain function in his legs.”