As a workers’ comp nurse case manager, I take pride in the fact that I assist in returning most injured workers back to good health and gainful employment. But if there is one case that was particularly satisfying, it has to be “George.” This case involved the coordinated efforts of many people, not the least of whom was George. This is his story.
A claim was reported from a Florida middle school — a 34-year-old resource officer (George), executing his duties, had to engage in the use of force against a student and struggled with him in order to restrain him. The student kicked and bit the officer several times. The kicking to the neck area was so severe that George was hospitalized in the ICU Unit for 15 days and then transferred to in-house rehabilitation.
We immediately assigned a field nurse case manager to the hospital who found that George was diagnosed as incomplete paraplegia, paralyzed from the chest down. The rehab medicine MD said he had never seen such a serious case and didn’t hold much hope that his condition would improve.
When George was discharged from the Florida hospital the orders were for physical therapy three times per week. Both the field case manager and I were not willing to accept that this was all that could be done for George. With extensive research we found a very aggressive rehabilitation program in Atlanta, Ga.
George was transferred to the facility and arrangements were made so that his wife and 11-year-old daughter could accompany him. The initial program incorporated intense physical therapy for six to eight hours a day. After six weeks, progress was noted in the movement of George’s extremities, and the program continued every six weeks with goals for further movement throughout the year.
Initially George learned to properly transfer from chair to bed and bed to chair, then progressed to the pool which helped with balance and stabilization, moving toward walking in the water. One year later George had progressed to the point that they would train him to drive his truck as long as he was able to place his wheelchair in the bed of his truck by himself.
George’s positive attitude and his family’s support have been key factors in his progress. Today he has gained 100 percent mobility of upper extremities and 40 percent of lower extremities with equipment aids. His physicians are extremely pleased with his progress. He returns to the facility every six months for re-evaluation to increase use of his lower extremities to 60 percent, which would require only a walking cane for ambulation.
I’m proud to be a part of the caring and committed team that was unwilling to give up without researching all possibilities of innovative medicine to set George on his road to recovery. Because of George’s own motivation and will to walk again, helped by the support of a loving family, we are thrilled to say that George will return to a productive and working lifestyle.
