“Not realizing at the time what I’d done to my cervical spine, had I wiped out, it would have been a Christopher Reeves type of deal.”

For Thom Cannon, the diagnosis came as a shock. He needed to have neck surgery and fast. Thom had fallen flat on his back last summer but didn’t show any signs of problems until hours later. “I had numbness in my hand but not for. . . I had a loss of strength in my right arm but at the time I wasn’t putting that with ‘I’ve fallen and hit my head’” says Cannon.

Dr. Amy Babb is a Physical Therapist with Lee Memorial Health System. “He had an accident. He had an injury that could have been paralyzing,” explains Dr. Babb. Thom underwent neck surgery late last year and is now undergoing physical therapy to build up his neck and shoulder muscles.

“If you are going into surgery, you need pre-op education. Thom went through a lot of pre-op education so the patient knows what to expect afterwards and how to get better,” says Dr. Babb.

Doctors emphasize the need to seek some sort of medical treatment after a fall or a tumble. In some instances, it may not be as serious as Thom’s. “A lot of times physical therapy is the first line of defense. Its non-invasive, the first you thing you want to try to see if you can avoid surgery. Surgery is the last thing you want,” explains Dr. Babb.

Always speak with your doctor about any sort of pain you might be having that’s persistent. This way, the physician can describe the best method to resolving that pain.