When Nathan Urquhart’s left leg was crushed at work by a tree stump grinder, he faced a tough decision – have his leg taken off or face a long and gruelling process of regrowing 18 centimetres of bone.
In April 2014, the Wyndham Vale arborist severed two of his three main leg arteries, macerating tendons and splintering nerves in an accident that left most of his tibia in splinters.
“The doctors gave me a choice – amputation or attempt to save the leg. I chose the latter – I wanted my leg.”
Mr Urquhart could not put any weight on his left leg for eight months. He was fitted with a Taylor spatial frame – an external frame for complex fractures and bone deformities – to help regrow his tibia.
And he began intensive rehabilitation, working with physiotherapist Jacqui Bloder at Wyndham Vale’s My Physio Evolution.
“The doctors told me it could be done, but I might not be able to walk again,” Mr Urquhart said.
He has defied the odds and is back on his feet.
“I have a long way to go, but that moment I was able to take my first unassisted steps after 18 months is cemented in my memory forever.”
Mr Urquhart still wears the spatial frame and walks with the assistance of a crutch.
His recovery included working with Ms Bloder four days a week.
“Jacqui got her creative genius on and had me exercising my glutes, quads and hamstrings in a safe manner,” he said.
Ms Bloder said it took a while for Mr Urquhart to develop enough strength to put weight on his leg but he never gave up. “His positivity throughout the whole ordeal has been great; he’s never been disheartened and has taken the whole thing in his stride.”
Nathan, too, was impressed with her dedication, nominating Ms Bloder for an Australian Physiotherapy Association I Love My Physio award. His story put Ms Bloder runner-up among 150 physiotherapists from around Australia.
Mr Urquhart’s journey isn’t over. He now faces bone fusion to prevent his ankle from moving in three directions.
