Woman dubbed 'flamingo lady' after rare neurological disorder forces her to stand on one leg

A physiotherapist with a rare neurological condition has been dubbed 'The Flamingo Lady' - because a debilitating disease has forced her to stand on one leg for three years. Joanne Day has suffered life-changing body contortions ever since a rollerskating accident as a teenager.

She suffers from dystonia, a rare disorder with no known cure which inflicts involuntary muscle contractions on different parts of the body. The latest one has cramped her left leg up towards her torso. Her constant agonising leg position means she can only move with crutches and drive an automatic car.



The 36-year-old has ruled out operating on her flamingo leg as surgery could spread the muscle spasms to different parts of her body. Joanne, from Telford, is thought to be the only person in the country with the 'flamingo leg' form of the disorder.

She said: 'Often, people say to me "Why are you standing like that?" I find myself often having to explain that it isn't through choice. There are always the inevitable flamingo jokes and although of course they are upsetting at times, I try to keep a sense of humour about it all. Laughter is how I've got through a lot of things that have happened to me.'

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