A team from the Guttmann Institute concluded that Kahlo's symptoms—including intense back pain, leg pain, and loss or alteration of sensitivity in the lower body—could be attributed to traumatic CES believed to be a consequence of her traffic accident, reported El Financiero. The study, published in the Journal of Neurology, offers a comprehensive explanation of the symptoms that affected Kahlo's life and work, as noted by Proceso.
According to RPP Noticias, Kahlo suffered a bus accident at the age of 18, which resulted in intense pain and forced her to remain immobile for extended periods. During the accident, two of her lumbar vertebrae, L3 and L4, were fractured and dislocated, and an iron railing caused an abdominal perforation, entering through her left hip and exiting through her vagina. ABC Color reports that her injuries also included dislocated left elbow, ankles, and shoulders; multiple broken ribs; three fractures in her pelvis; and eleven fractures in her crushed right foot.
Prensa Libre notes that medical documents from Kahlo's time recorded a decrease in sensitivity in her legs and neuropathic pain, symptoms that coincide with the diagnosis of cauda equina syndrome. Researchers at the Guttmann Institute had access to Kahlo's medical records, which indicated she suffered "a decrease in sensitivity in the lower part of her body and a worsening of her right foot and leg" after the accident, as reported by El Observador.
"Cauda equina syndrome is a rare condition, and its identification in historical patients like Kahlo can help better understand their symptoms and impact," stated Hatice Kumru, a neurologist at the Guttmann Institute and author of the article, according to La Razón. Kumru also noted, "Today it is known that these methods often can lead to muscle atrophy, worsen pain, and cause gait disorders, which likely contributed to her disability," referring to the orthopedic corsets Kahlo used, according to Milenio.
The misdiagnosis during Kahlo's time led her to use these corsets, which were counterproductive. With current medical knowledge, researchers concluded that such treatments were not the most appropriate, as El Financiero reports. The study's findings indicate that cauda equina syndrome, involving the nerve roots of the spine, provides a comprehensive explanation of Kahlo's symptoms, which were previously attributed to multiple causes such as fractures and immobilization.
Milenio notes that intense lower back pain radiating to the legs is a principal symptom of cauda equina syndrome. Other symptoms include loss of muscle strength in the legs, numbness or tingling in the thighs, legs, and feet, and bladder dysfunction. 20 Minutos reports that Kahlo referred in her writings to persistent sciatic pain and hypersensitivity to touch, including in the genital areas, which researchers attribute to continuous spontaneous pain and allodynia.
Researchers ruled out post-polio syndrome and spina bifida as possible explanations for her symptoms. HuffPost Spain reports that post-polio syndrome is not associated with sensory deficits. La Razón adds that symptoms of post-polio syndrome usually appear 50 years after contracting the disease, and Kahlo had polio at age six. El País Uruguay notes that the researchers found no references to symptoms compatible with these conditions in Kahlo's letters or available literature before the accident.
Milenio emphasizes that the new diagnosis not only reveals what Kahlo suffered from but also how it affected her artistic work and her life. Her condition impacted her career alongside Diego Rivera, affecting her creativity and production of paintings. Prensa Libre points out that in her 1944 painting "The Broken Column," Kahlo depicts herself with a corset tied to her body by a column and dozens of nails in her skin, reflecting her physical ailments and expressing her pain. Similarly, La Estrella de Panamá notes that in her 1946 painting "The Wounded Deer," she portrays herself with a deer's body pierced by eleven arrows, symbolizing her suffering.
In 1953, due to gangrene, doctors amputated Kahlo's right leg below the knee. The following year, in 1954, she passed away, as reported by El País Uruguay. "I have the impression of having suffered centuries of torture, and sometimes I almost go mad," said Kahlo after the amputation, according to La Razón.
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq