Question
my brother was in a car accident in July 2010 he crushed his spinal cord at C4. he has finally been sent to a rehab in Harrisburg MS he battled a bed sore that would not heal they finally did surgery to close bed sore with tissue from his calf. We are being told the injury is complete being that he is almost 7 feet talk and had a narrow spinal cord.
1st do you know how we would go about getting more time in the rehab if needed
2nd does his height make a different in rehabilitation
3rd what are the statistics for making any type of recovery

thanks for your help

Answer
Dear Carolyn,  I am so sorry your family is having to go through all of this, I've been there and know what your going through. To answer your first question, you probably have to have his doctor request the insurance company for more rehabilitation time. As to whether your brothers height will make a difference, I'd say it would. Getting a wheelchair for someone that tall is probably something that will have to be specially ordered. I would also think his bed would also have to be specially ordered. His height may make transfers a little more difficult. And finally to your last question, because he is complete I would think he will most likely be a quadriplegic, with little use of his arms.I wish I could be more optimistic, but unfortunately his injury is at a high level. Although technology is getting closer to helping with spinal cord injuries, hopefully things move more quickly in this area.I will pray for your brother and your family, and if you ever need me to bounce things off of, I'll be here. Sincerely, Ken