Question
hello John,
  I have a question regarding my fiance...He was in a terrible accident in august...he suffered a fractured c2 and c3 vertebrae as well as other terrible disfiguring wounds.  He is very lucky that he is alive , the doctors at Brigham and women's hospital offered a spinal cord fusion and they told us he would not have any range of motion if they proceed with the surgery.  I thought of what was in marc's best interest...only 28, two kids, a job, loving family...etc...and asked if there was another option. They tried to put him a halo but he had so many lacerations to his head it was impossible...for a day and a half almost two he laid motionless in his hospital bed waiting for his SOME collar. He was to wear it until further notice form his nuero. doc. and hope for the best. Well here it is 5 months later and Marc got word from his nuero. doc that his neck was "HEALING" and it was OK to take the brace off a little at a time. Now he had totally had it off for 3 weeks now. He still doesn't have full range of motion, will it all come back? And how easy is it for him to injure himself again? Does the neck heal just as good as if it was never injured? do you think he will have any problems in the future? And last, will employers not want to hire him due to his injury? Thank you for your time.
 
                           Sincerely,
                            Melissa Weismann
                            Cape Cod, MA

Answer
Hi Melissa,

Thanks so much for your questions.

It's very difficult for me to say whether or not he will regain full range of motion. I have no idea how severe his fracture was. I have had my neck fused and though I do not have full range, I am able to turn my head from side to side. He should talk to his doctor about the possibility of using physical therapy to regain as much range as possible.

When someone has an injury, most of the time the body heals properly but it's never as strong as before the injury. For example, scar tissue will always be more sensitive and often painful. Also, a broken bone will be weaker than it was in it's original condition. That being said, it doesn't mean that there will be another injury in the same area.

Whenever someone suffers a broken bone there is always a chance that enviromental changes can cause some aches and pains to that area.

As far as the injury affecting employment,
that would depend upon how well he recovers and the employer. Some employers may not be concerned about this while others may require an extensive physical and a medical background check.

I hope this helps and if you have any more questions, please feel free to ask me anytime.

Thanks again,
John McKinzie