By Li Bo

ecently, Louis, a 68-year-old patient from Portugal, was happily discharged from Nantong Geriatric Rehabilitation Hospital. It is a new life for him who once had a severe car accident.

Louis has stayed in China for many years. Unfortunately, he had a serious car accident. The car accident not only caused slight damage to his lumbar nerves, but also made the sequelae of his stroke worse. Moreover, in the early days after the accident, due to various reasons, Louis was unable to receive professional rehabilitation intervention in time. As time went by, he gradually developed severe joint stiffness in the knee joints of both lower limbs. Every time he tried to flex or extend his knees, the piercing pain would come, which was unbearable. As time went by, even standing up became a luxury for Louis. He had to rely on a wheelchair for a long time. His quality of life seriously declined and his mood became very low and depressed.

When Louis went to Nantong Geriatric Rehabilitation Hospital seeking treatment, the medical team of the Rehabilitation Department of the hospital quickly carried out a thorough and detailed inspection. After a detailed evaluation, they found out that Louis’ soft tissues, such as muscles and ligaments, still had a certain degree of elasticity, were not yet completely rigid. It brought a glimmer of hope for subsequent rehabilitation treatment. The rehabilitation team made a personalized treatment plan for him.

After a period of treatment, Louis' recovery has made gratifying progress. Now, his right leg can move passively. What’s more encouraging is that Louis can stand steadily for up to 15 minutes with the help of assistive equipment. With the support from others, he can walk slowly indoors. Louis’ mind has become more positive and optimistic, and he is full of confidence in the future recovery.