'I went in for a tackle and heard my neck snap'

Luke Orton was playing successful a rugby tourney connected the Isle of Wight successful July 2023 erstwhile his beingness changed forever.

"I went successful for a tackle and heard my cervix snap," helium said.

"It sounded similar eating a cracker oregon a adust Weetabix – it turned retired to beryllium the guy’s genu who I tackled – past I was paralysed connected the beach."

He is 1 of respective patients receiving specializer rehabilitation attraction astatine Salisbury Hospital's Spinal Treatment Centre.

As the portion marks its 40th anniversary, BBC South spent six months with the unit and patients. These are immoderate of their stories.

Roxy Wilson, from Sherborne, Dorset, was successful the assemblage for Elton John's acceptable astatine Glastonbury past twelvemonth erstwhile she says radical abruptly surged and she was knocked over.

She needed country to region a disc successful her spine that was crushing her spinal cord.

"It was a lawsuit of 1 incorrect determination and it would person severed my cord," said Roxy.

"Unfortunately, erstwhile they went to region the disc, each the travel of humor and oxygen and everything conscionable stunned each my nerves and I ended up paralysed."

After 4 months connected the unit, Roxy was capable to basal with support, meaning she does not person to usage a wheelchair full-time.

"I’m going to locomotion retired of present now, nary doubt, I’m going to locomotion out," she explained.

And 5 months connected from her accident, she did conscionable that, breaking into a wide grin arsenic unit and patients cheered and clapped.

"All of a abrupt I consciousness similar I’m 10ft tall, not 5ft 8in," says Roxy. "I deliberation there’s each emotion imaginable – I’m frightened and I’m going to miss this lot."

While teams astatine the portion enactment connected rehabilitating radical with spinal injuries, not everyone volition locomotion again.

Consultant Chalil Vinod said: "Patients are nether the content that a batch of physiotherapy tin alteration them to locomotion – and I dispel that myth.

"In a traumatic spinal injury, erstwhile the spine is fixed – that’s the bony spot fixed – but they hide there’s a tense spot and erstwhile that’s damaged, it’s beyond repair."

To assistance radical header with the often life-changing outcomes of their spinal injuries, patients are fixed enactment with intelligence resilience alongside their carnal rehabilitation.

Dr Nigel North, objective psychologist, said: "You can’t instrumentality distant hope. We can’t permission idiosyncratic hopeless by saying this is ne'er going to alteration due to the fact that that would beryllium an perfectly unspeakable presumption to permission idiosyncratic in."

For many, the healing travel involves grieving the nonaccomplishment of their beingness earlier their spinal injury.

"You’re mourning thing which has gone and you’re not going to get it backmost successful the mode that it utilized to be," said Dr North.

Patient Fearghas Powell said: "I consciousness similar I moan a batch but it’s due to the fact that I’m conscionable impatient with this life, I privation my aged beingness back."

The histrion surgeon was removing rotten branches from a histrion successful Yelverton, Dartmoor, successful August 2023 erstwhile helium fell 46ft (14m).

"I was hanging determination for a 2nd past I heard a click oregon a clunk and past I woke up connected the floor," helium said.

"I didn’t person immoderate symptom consecutive away, I couldn’t see, everything was conscionable fuzzy.

"I fell from astir 14m (45.9ft) I think, which is mode bigger than a two-storey house."

For Fearghas, the absorption of his rehabilitation is precocious assemblage question and strength.

He has immoderate sensation beneath the waist but his limb usage is precise limited, with nary feeling oregon question beneath the knee.

A twelvemonth connected from the accident, the histrion surgeon from from Plymouth, Devon, recovered the courageousness to spell backmost to the tract of the accident.

Gazing up astatine the histrion helium fell from helium said: "I was astir crying this greeting due to the fact that it conscionable felt similar excessively overmuch but, present I’m here, I consciousness rather sick.

"It’s conscionable weird. My full beingness has changed present – from that tree."

Following his rugby accident, Luke, from Ventnor, Isle of Wight, needs regular physiotherapy.

Initially told helium mightiness lone person the usage of his biceps, helium is besides gathering spot successful his triceps and wrists.

While helium volition ne'er regain the usage of his legs, Luke is determined to get connected with his life.

"If I beryllium determination successful furniture going, ‘Oh, I’ve mislaid my legs for the remainder of my life', past I’m not going to spell anywhere," helium said.

"You’ve got to propulsion forward, transportation connected with the beingness you astir apt had earlier but it’s conscionable going to beryllium different. At the extremity of the day, I’m inactive the aforesaid person."

The interaction of a spinal wounded goes beyond carnal and intelligence rehabilitation.

Annamarie broke 3 vertebrae successful her spine erstwhile she fell down a formation of stairs, leaving her without feeling from the thorax down.

During her clip astatine the spinal unit, her teenage girl had to determination successful with her grandma and Annamarie's begetter passed away.

"It's a lot, you can't adjacent beryllium determination for your family, you're rather removed from everything that's going on, which is rather hard," she said.

Eighteen months connected from her accident, Annamarie has made astonishing progress.

She is present capable to locomotion with enactment and determination into an other attraction portion successful Romsey, Hampshire, adjacent to her family.

But she is struggling to find determination suitable for her to yet unrecorded with her girl again.

Caroline Burson, from Alresford, Hampshire, was connected vacation successful Cyprus past summertime erstwhile her limb "went wholly dead".

She waited with her spouse for a taxi to instrumentality her to infirmary but "by the clip it arrived, I was wholly paralysed from the cervix down", she said.

Initially doctors thought she had sunstroke, says Caroline, but an MRI scan revealed it was much superior and she was flown backmost to the UK by aerial ambulance.

Caroline had suffered a spinal stroke. A clot had disrupted the humor travel to her spinal cord.

During Caroline's clip astatine the unit, she progresses from supported walking to autarkic movement.

"I was told determination was nary recovery," she said, describing the feeling of being capable to basal up unaided arsenic "just unbelievable".

"I said erstwhile I came here, I’m going to locomotion retired of present – and I am," she said.

And 8 months aft her spinal stroke, she leaves the portion connected ft - with the assistance of a walking instrumentality and immense pride.