Healing a Broken Leg

The typical routines we get accustomed to can go awry in a matter of seconds and on April 12, 2021, Natalie Jackson's trip home from the ballfield threw a curveball she didn't expect. As she drove home with her two young children another car collided with hers and their destination became a ditch along Hwy 74. Natalie was trapped in the car. Luckily, both children were okay and her son was able to get out and go for help. He ran to the closest gas station for assistance and soon after paramedics arrived. Natalie's adrenaline and instinct to protect her children and make sure they were not hurt was in full swing, but she needed to be tended to as well. After arriving at the hospital and getting x-rayed it was discovered that her leg was broken in multiple areas. Dr. Thomas Ross, a specialist in orthopaedic trauma and reconstructive surgery, performed two extensive surgeries to repair the fractures using plates and screws. Natalie required a lengthy hospital stay of 11 days.

It was a scary experience for Natalie. This was the first time she had been hospitalized and it was during the Covid pandemic when visitation was prohibited. She stayed in touch with her husband and children through video calls, and she missed them terribly, but this unexpected event brought them closer than ever. When Natalie was released from the hospital she was wheelchair bound and she began therapy with Resurgens Rehabilitation. Greg Lego, DPT and Rehab Area Manager, was the first person Natalie met and he reassured her that she would be fine. Along the way, during each therapy session, her rehab team kept her motivated to get through the physical and mental challenges. Natalie did the hard work during her sessions and she did her homework. The small steady steps led to her success when on her final session in rehab she walked out of the clinic without any assistance. Beginning her rehab in a wheelchair, then progression to a walker, crutches, and a cane to finally walking on her own was a time that she will never forget. Natalie said, "It's been a journey, a good journey. Everyone was always so nice and friendly. I can never say everything about how they helped me. I had so much support all around me."

Dr. Ross's reaction when he heard about Natalie's successful rehab story, "This is what Resurgens is all about: Making a positive difference in our patients' lives. I give credit to our therapists for my surgical results. As you know, they are so critical to outcomes. It is stories like this that keep me doing Trauma."

Natalie's last day of therapy was September 15, 2021, and at her six-month post-rehabilitation appointment with Dr. Ross, she received a good report. She's healing well and staying strong by going to the gym to work out, which has become a new habit since the accident. Natalie is back to doing all her normal routines of taking care of her family and living life to the fullest. Natalie, all of us at Resurgens Orthopaedics wish you the best!