5 replies to this topic

[oudoorzgirl]

My brother-in-law was paralyzed in an accident approx. 3 months ago. He broke his back and injured his spinal cord. He lost all feeling from the waist down. They initially fused T9, T10, T11, T12. We found out a couple weeks ago the screws were coming loose. Last week they fused his back all the way down to L5. How is this going to affect his mobility? He is extremely depressed. I believe more so now than right after his accident. He was finally able to transfer to the car, shower, etc. by himself. Now he is so stiff feeling he is unable to do his program on his own. He is unable to even wipe himself. Will he regain some flexibility after a few months, or has he lost all flexibility now?

[McTavish]

Hi OGirl I had a spinal fusion T2 3 and 4 and the thought of screws becoming loose just gives me the creeps, hope my surgeon used a good screw driver to tighten them. Sorry can,t answer your question maybe you should have a chat with his surgeon although in my experience they will not commit to anything, all I got was "power may return dont know when but no guarantee" Hope things improve for you both. You have certainly come to the right place as there are a lot of knowelgeable (is that the right spelling) people on this site, pity I'm not one of them.

[irishmeg]

oudoorzgirl, on Jan 14 2010, 05:33 AM, said:

My brother-in-law was paralyzed in an accident approx. 3 months ago. He broke his back and injured his spinal cord. He lost all feeling from the waist down. They initially fused T9, T10, T11, T12. We found out a couple weeks ago the screws were coming loose. Last week they fused his back all the way down to L5. How is this going to affect his mobility? He is extremely depressed. I believe more so now than right after his accident. He was finally able to transfer to the car, shower, etc. by himself. Now he is so stiff feeling he is unable to do his program on his own. He is unable to even wipe himself. Will he regain some flexibility after a few months, or has he lost all flexibility now?

I am a T 9-10 complete para, injured 25 years ago when I was just a teenager. I too had a couple of fusions, the second one likewise extending my original fusion into the lumbar spine. I did lose some flexibility (my back doesn't curve and rotate; it folds), but I have learned new ways for compensating. In time, your brother-in-law will likely discover some tricks of his own to work around the restrictions. I've been in a chair a long time, and the one think I can say I have learned for certain is that, while it may not always get better, a person gets better at it! I wish him the very best. Family support is huge --

[Avocado Baby]

Hi there,

I have Spina Bifida so have been paralysed from birth. I was fused T11-L5 when I was 12. I don't remember noticing that I had lost movement. I was able to do everything I could before-and if I couldn't I soon learned new ways of doing things.

In 2007 my fusion was extended to T8. I did notice losing the ability to twist but I can still bend over. As Irishmeg says, the back will fold rather than twist. If your brother in Law was already fused higher up and has lost function below his waist, I wouldn't have thought being fused to L5 would make too much difference. It will feel strange at first, but I'm sure with time he'll adapt and learn new ways of doing things.

I'm sorry he's feeling so low. He's obviously had a lot of changes to come to terms with so it will take time.

I hope I've helped a bit

[percepied]

I'm having the same surgery this Friday and the surgeon told me my back would be like a hinge. No more rotation at the thoracic level. Keep in mind the incision is probably causing some of the stiffness ... at least I hope so. I am not looking forward to my surgery but I will be glad when it is over.

[Avocado Baby]

percepied, on Feb 14 2010, 10:57 PM, said:

I'm having the same surgery this Friday and the surgeon told me my back would be like a hinge. No more rotation at the thoracic level. Keep in mind the incision is probably causing some of the stiffness ... at least I hope so. I am not looking forward to my surgery but I will be glad when it is over.

What levels are they fusing? I was looking into getting my fusion extended to T2 but have decided against it for the time being because I would lose too much function, but I guess I'm lucky because I can have a choice in the matter.

I hope your surgery goes well! Good luck!