His jail conditions "are the equivalent of a large individual flying coach in a middle seat for a period of a year," Wass said.

Murray was taken to a hospital Sunday night for treatment of what his lawyer described as "marked venous stasis of his lower extremities" and "right shoulder pain and severe loss of motion."

His cell was so small that Murray has "no opportunity for physical movement throughout the day," his lawyers wrote. "The only actual exercise that Dr. Murray received occurs on most Monday evenings when he is transferred in chains to an 8-by-8 cage on the roof of the facility."

Murray, in a phone call to a friend Monday that was published Wednesday by the celebrity news website TMZ, complained that he feared his illness would be permanent. "I may never be able to wear a boot again," he said.

"The venous stasis gives rise to a high risk for deep vein thrombosis and/or migrating pulmonary embolism," his lawyer wrote to the sheriff. "This condition may have developed to a chronic state which has become permanent and uncorrectable necessitating a lifetime of medication and treatment."

Murray's physical appearance has changed dramatically since he was taken into custody, his lawyer wrote.

"A review of earlier booking photos and bio-statistics of Dr. Murray, when compared to his current condition and appearance, would be shocking to persons not previously familiar with him," they wrote. "To those who have known him for the last year or longer, the suffering that has obviously taken its toll on his health is unimaginable."

Keeping a human in such conditions "would at the very least give rise to civil liability for negligent confinement resulting in a debilitating medical condition," the letter said.