Chris
Crocker, a roofer by profession, enjoyed the physical labor and the opportunity
to be outdoors. But on August 22, 2019,
everything changed. The 29-year-old was installing a metal roof as it started
to rain. Chris lost his footing and fell
20 feet to the ground.
An ambulance
rushed him to the emergency room, where scans revealed Chris had sustained a
traumatic spinal cord injury that left him with no movement or sensation in his
legs. He had surgery to help relieve pressure on the spinal cord and nerves. His
left leg was also fractured, and he would be unable to put weight on it for at
least three months.
Seven days
after his accident, Chris was admitted to SSM Health Rehabilitation Hospital in
Bridgeton, Missouri, to begin his recovery
Chris was
initially admitted for intensive occupational and physical therapies to help
restore his strength and ability to perform every day activities. Unable to
stand or walk, Chris learned to use a wheelchair for all aspects of mobility. He
worked on advancing his skills to navigate curbs and other potential obstacles
he would face in the community. He also learned a range of strategies and how
to use adaptive equipment to increase his independence, such as using a waterproof
chair to shower.
“It [the
accident] changed my life,” Chris said. “I had to relearn how to do
everything.”
Throughout
his stay, he maintained a positive outlook. Chris grew stronger every day and, toward
the end of his stay, began to show signs of movement in his right leg.
He was
discharged in mid-September and was able to move about in his wheelchair and
complete most daily activities on his own. The most exciting part was that with
function returning to his legs, Chris and his medical team were cautiously
optimistic that he might walk again.
By
mid-December, Chris was able to place weight on his left leg, and he was
readmitted to SSM Health Rehabilitation Hospital – Bridgeton. Chris said that
he returned because everyone at the hospital is “top notch and really nice.”
As he began
the next phase of his rehabilitation, Chris managed to walk 15 feet with the assistance
of two people. By the end of the first week of therapy, Chris was walking 165
feet with minimal assistance from one person. At the end of week two, he was
walking 300 feet with just a cane. Therapy focused on extensive training to strengthen
his leg muscles and increase his balance. This improved his ability to stand
from a seated position in the wheelchair. He worked on standing to shower, get
dressed and at the kitchen counter to cook. But his main goal was to be able to
get up and down from the floor to play with his children.
To further support his progress, Chris’s therapy team
added robotic gait training, using the Hocoma Lokomat. This device supports an
individual’s body weight using a special harness system and moves the legs in a
walking pattern on a treadmill. The repetitive movement helps to retrain the
muscles and nerves to improve gait. Chris was quickly showing an improved level
of independence with all mobility. In addition to tolerating decreased levels
of body weight support needed for walking in the Lokomat, he was walking longer
distances at faster treadmill speeds. Chris said robotics training had the
biggest impact on his ability to walk again.
“I wasn’t
afraid I was going to fall. (The suit) helped me with the walking motion,” he
said.
Chris was
discharged on December 20 — just in time to celebrate the holidays with his
family, including his dog. He’s now looking forward to returning to work,
grateful to be able to do so. His advice
to anyone in a similar situation is simple: “Don’t quit.”