Question
My friend had a terrible bike accident and hit a tree, they said she has D5,D6,D7,D8,D9,D10 and D11 fractured, and the D5 and D11 crushed.....she underwent spinal fusion yesterday where they fused all six vertebrae.  They believe she will walk again, (before the surgery they thought she would lose use of her legs.)  What type of re-hab, complications and or long-term effects of such a drastic surgery?  I understand it could take months......she is very athletic, and her body is strong, she is 42 years old with no other existing health issues.  any links or comments would be helpful as I do my research on this.  Thank you for your time......

Answer
Hi Lara,  I'm guessing you meant T5,T6,T7,T8,T9,T10 and T11 were fractured. Thoracic vertebrae. Anyway I'm sorry your friend suffered such an injury, it will be a long rehabilitation, but from what you've said at least the doctors expect her to walk again. The fact that she is very athletic and strong will certainly help her. I'm guessing that if they think she will walk that most likely she will have a full recovery, no paralysis or loss of sensation that normally occur with those who suffer that type of injury, with spinal cord damage. As far as what to expect from her rehabilitation process,they will put her through various strengthening exercises. And walking exercises. As far as complications and long-term effects, that really depends on the success of her surgery. The following sites offer some insight into your questions,I hope this helps. Sincerely, Ken

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1864899/
http://www.mdguidelines.com/spinal-fusion/complications
http://www.ejbjs.org/cgi/content/abstract/91/2/398
http://journals.lww.com/spinejournal/Abstract/2010/06010/Contributory_Factors_to...