A professional golfer who was paralyzed from the waist down after a vein ruptured in his spine has walked again thanks to a quick surgery.
Luis Vega, 26, from Madrid, Spain, was in the last three days of his vacation in the US when he woke up in the night with stabbing pain in his back.
He bumped into the shower clinging to the wall as he went, but it collapsed. Just a few hours later, she couldn’t sit up or move her back without extreme pain.
Mr. Vega, who was staying in New York City, was taken to Mount Sinai West Hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with a spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma (SSEH).
This is when a rupture in a blood vessel has caused blood to pool in the place between the spinal cord and the bones of the spine and form a clot, compressing the cord and causing paralysis.
Doctors removed the clot during surgery, and immediately afterwards he was able to move his toes again. The feeling returned the next day and she too was able to take a few steps.
The condition is extremely rare with no known cause. But estimates suggest that half of patients suffer long-term damage and up to five percent die.
Dr. Wesley Bronson, a spine expert who performed the surgery, told DailyMail.com that if it had been left on for more than 24 hours, he likely would have faced long-term damage.
Vega said that while he was very grateful to walk again, he was concerned about the impact it would have on his golfing career. “All my improvements over the last year have been lost,” he told DailyMail.com.
The pro golfer hopes to be back on the course next month after rehab. He has previously competed in Spain, Austria and Egypt among others.
Luis Vega, 26, suffered a ruptured vein in his spine that caused a blood clot to compress his spinal cord (left), leading to paralysis and loss of feeling in his legs. Doctors performed an operation to remove the blood clot (right).
Mr. Vega was hospitalized at Mount Sinai West, New York, for ten days. Immediately after the operation he said that he could wiggle his toes and slightly move his legs. The next day he was able to walk two steps backwards and sit on a chair.
Mr. Vega is pictured above with his girlfriend Claudia Rebesco, 27, a physical therapist. The couple lives in Italy and was vacationing in the United States when the condition broke out.
The condition is triggered when a blood vessel ruptures, causing blood to leak into the epidural space, a space between the spinal cord and the bones of the spine, and clot.
This then puts pressure on the spine, leading to problems with transmitting signals to the rest of the body.
Initially, patients are faced with sudden neck or back pain, which then progresses to full or near-full paralysis of the legs or arms, depending on where the clot is located.
Doctors treat the condition with surgery to remove the clot and restore normal spinal function.
If they don’t act quickly, patients can suffer a stroke, when the blood supply to the spinal cord is cut off, causing cells to begin to die. This causes permanent damage.
There is no known cause for the condition, although it can be caused by trauma, an underlying condition, or even lifting weights that are too heavy in the gym.
Doctors stressed, however, that it is extremely rare, with less than one person per million suffering from it annually.
Mr. Vega is from Madrid, Spain, but now lives in Italy with his girlfriend Claudia Rebesco, 27, a physiotherapist.
The couple was on a month-long vacation in the US that began with a wedding in South Carolina before visiting other US cities including Los Angeles and Miami.
But on his last layover in New York City and three days before his flight home, Mr. Vega suddenly experienced pain in his spine.
On August 7, he woke up at 2 a.m. with a throbbing headache.
She stumbled into the shower, but needed to use the wall for support and struggled to move her legs.
Once under the shower head, the pain became so great that she collapsed on the floor.
Mrs. Rebesco helped him back to bed, and when he lay down, the pain disappeared.
But as soon as he sat down or moved his back, the stabbing pain started again.
You stopped being able to move anything below your waist (paralysis) and lost all feeling in the area.
The couple tried breathing exercises, but after the pain refused to subside, they called an ambulance.
At the hospital at 11:30 am, he underwent an MRI where doctors diagnosed a blood clot in his spine.
He was sent for an emergency laminectomy, a particular type of surgery in which doctors remove a blood clot from the spine.
After putting him under anesthesia, they made an incision in his mid-back area, where the affected vertebra was, and moved the muscle to the side.
They then cut through the bone that protects the spinal cord, medically called the lamina, and removed the blood clot.
By the time he came to that night, Mr. Vega had some feeling and could wiggle his toes and move his legs slightly.
The next morning he was able to stand up again, take two steps back and sit in a chair normally.
Doctors kept him in the wards for another eight days to monitor his recovery.
He was then allowed to return home, where he received physical therapy to return to playing golf.
Mr. Vega is currently undergoing physical therapy. He hopes to return to training for golf tournaments next month.
He has competed in Egypt, Spain, Italy and Austria, among many other countries.
The couple had travel insurance, ensuring they didn’t have to shell out any savings for the operation or recovery.
Speaking about his condition, Mr. Vega told DailyMail.com: “I felt like it was two different thoughts because on the one hand, I was very happy to be able to walk again, practice again and play again after a few months of rehab.”
‘But the other side was supposed to come [to Italy] on the 10th and make a very good end of the season with a new coach and a new personal trainer.
‘All my improvements from the last year have been lost.’
Dr. Bronson told DailyMail.com that the condition was “very, very rare” and that, in Mr. Vega’s case, it was not clear what had caused it.
“He didn’t have any of the risk factors for that, no trauma, no injuries, just a normal healthy young individual.
It sometimes happens in bodybuilders who lift very heavy weights, but it wasn’t the case with him either.
“We have no idea why it happened, other than bad luck.”
He told DailyMail.com that if they hadn’t managed to operate on him within 24 hours of developing severe pain, he would likely have suffered permanent damage.
Mr. Vega says he hopes to start training again next month and prepare for a few more tournaments.
He currently participates in the Alps Tour, which organizes youth golf tournaments in five European countries.
