The Framingham man who broke his neck by diving off a trampoline into a shallow kiddie pool may be able to recover at least some movement in his body, but faces a difficult road ahead, experts say.
Cleber Dos Santos, 29, broke his fifth Cervical vertebra – an injury which means his spine should be Functional above the fifth vertebra, giving him some upper body movement, according to a local Physical Therapist.
“Somebody like that, you would expect to be able to use amuscle-to-shoulder shrug or they might be able to move their arm out to the side,” said Rachael Finke, a therapist at Spaulding Rehabilitation Center in Framingham.
Whether the man regains movement in his torso and legs depends on whether he suffered a complete or incomplete spinal cord injury, Finke said.
“If you think of the spinal cord as a garden hose, a complete injury would sever the hose completely, preventing the transmission of water,” she said.
Those who suffer spinal cord injuries often need physical, occupational and speech therapy.
By Jon Brodkin/ Metrowest Daily News
