Horse rider forced to 'pick up her own head' after suffering broken neck in horrific accident

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Thea Maxfield, 26, from Bicester, Oxfordshire with her horse Hammie - just a year after another horse, Fiorella, threw her off and left her with a broken neck


A horse rider suffered such a severely broken neck in an horrific riding accident that she was forced to 'pick up her own head'.

Thea Maxfield, who suffered a clean 'hangman's break' when she fell from her dressage horse, tried to get out of the animal's way as it galloped around after the fall.

But when she attempted to pick herself up, the horrified 26-year-old found her head stayed where it was.

Realising she had to move or risk being stomped on by her horse, named Thiorella, Thea cupped her hands around her own head and lifted it into place in an effort to avoid damaging her spinal cord

She said: 'As soon as I came off the horse I knew something was wrong. I went to get up but my head stayed on the floor.

'I couldn't move my neck or my head and I had to literally pick my head up and carry it in my hands.

'My horse was galloping around and I just had to get out of the way. When we arrived at the hospital I was told that this type of fracture can kill people.'
After managing to stagger to safety, watched by her frightened mother Diane, 66, she was whisked to hospital by ambulance.

Doctors initially warned Thea that she could be permanently paralysed and spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. But they fixed a permanent brace to her neck for three months help to fuse the bones back together.

Astonishingly, after just seven months Thea was riding again, thanks to technology honed on the FOrmula One track, which helped her make a lightning recovery.


Paralysed: The injury could have left Ms Maxfield in a wheelchair for the rest of her life, or even dead


Thea became the first person in the world to undergo treatment for a broken neck using a specially-adapted head brace connected to a computer by tiny sensors.

The sensors, which measure the force and stresses an F1 car goes through as it speeds round the track, were used to assess the strength and weakness of Thea's neck. This information was fed into a super-computer and her physiotherapists used it to tailor an exercise routine to ensure her neck healed at the perfect rate.

Thea, who runs a stud farm in Bicester, Oxfordshire, said: 'I didn't have that much hope of a recovery but I've been incredibly lucky to have been able to use this new technology which has helped me tremendously.'

Physiotherapist Don Gatherer developed the device used to treat Thea, which is usually used to measure the force of steering wheels, suspension and airflow on F1 cars.

Don was then able to tailor the exercises exactly needed to repair Thea's neck without causing further injuries.

Doctor's said that Thea might need a few years before she recovered, but she was riding horses again after just seven months.


Pioneering: Thea Maxfield used Formula 1 technology during rehabilitation from the 'Hangman's Break' she suffered after being thrown from her horse


She now plans to compete in the Prix St George's level 2 dressage competition next year.

Thea said: 'I couldn't believe it when my horse went berserk. She bucked twice vertically in the air and I was thrown into the air. It's ironic that I had been rehabilitating the horse at the time and she was the one that injured me.

'My recovery has been speeded up beyond belief. I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to use the technology.'

Physiotherapists usually give patients exercises based on how comfortable they feel in certain positions.

Don, from Ayelsbury, Buckinghamshire, believes the TGP Analysis device could also be used to test if benefits claimants are 'faking' injury.

He said: 'We can precisely measure the muscle strength, enabling us to create a safe training programme whilst ensuring forces exerting on the muscle during training are within guidelines.

'Previously, Thea lacked strength but combined with using our patented harness that prevents excess loads from being applied, she has improved core strength to improve posture and stability.

'The accuracy of this system couple with the analysis software enables physios to use it as a method of understanding what muscle force is actually possible.

'This enables the physio to ensure the right treatment is administered or, in the case of benefit claimants, data will be available to assess suitability. The data from the machines could also be used to test if benefits claimants have genuine problems.'

source: dailymail