Question
My boyfriend is a 16 yr. old boy who was in a car accident on october 18,2006. His c3 vertebra was severed. he was on the ventilator for about 2 months. He can move his arms and neck. he is not able to move his fingers and has little triceps. Since the accident he has regained some type of feeling. his hands ahve nerve pain constantly. he can feel his ancle, part of his thigh,and his butocks when you rub or touch them. my question is how far do you think is recovery will go ? do you think he will continue to regain feeling? Do you think he will ever get the use of his hands back.

Answer
hi eva-

i can't say for sure, but most people recover sensation (if they get any back at all) in the first 6 months-year. some people are a little different, but it's pretty rare to find someone regaining function after the year is up.

for that reason, i'm sorry to say, it's doubtful he'll get the use of his hands back. my injury is just below the hand function level, and I always think how much different my life would be without them... anyway, there are always new sorts of therapy happening, especially for those whose injuries are so recent- things move forward, although sometimes it seems to be at a very slow rate.  

i'm glad he's not had to stay on the ventilator- alot of people above c4 do, and it seems to make their lives much harder (infection, etc). hopefully they can do something about the nerve pain in his hands- it is a miserable feeling, kind of like fire from the inside

sorry that's not the best news, but there is room for hope. please write in anytime if you have further questions

good luck
leslie