Ten Years Later: What I Learned from Surviving Polytrauma
On October 13, 2016, I was struck by a drunk driver traveling approximately 45–50 mph while I was a pedestrian. The driver's side mirror struck me directly over my left eye and face. The driver fled the scene.
I regained consciousness in the ICU, immobilized in a cervical collar, with no understanding of what had happened to me. I thought I lost my left eye. All I could make out was my foot dangling unnaturally from my leg. I couldn't move, and I had no idea how I had gotten there.
My list of injuries was extensive. Multiple skull fractures caused bleeding over the frontal lobe of my brain. I couldn’t open my left eye for nearly a month. I sustained an orbital blow out fracture, meaning all the bones that encase my left eye fractured. I fractured a majority of the bones around my right eye as well. There were multiple sinus fractures in my face as well as a nearly detached retina. I had fractured ribs. My left foot and ankle took a brunt of the trauma: more than five fractures of my left calcaneus, a Lisfranc injury, and a dislocated cuboid. I also suffered a severe concussion and a mild traumatic brain injury.
Nearly a year later, I underwent a calcaneocuboid fusion after significant bone loss complicated my surgical options. I spent approximately a year unable to walk.
I later learned that the driver was a friend I had been with that night. She sought legal counsel before I had been discharged from the ICU. Despite the circumstances, she was never criminally charged.
In a matter of seconds, my physical health, financial security, relationships, and sense of safety had been completely disrupted.
How Physical Therapy and Pilates Helped Me Recover From CRPS
Acute pain eventually became persistent pain, and I developed complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), making even touch and movement of my leg difficult to tolerate.
One of the most important parts of my recovery was having a physical therapist who continually adapted my treatment based on my pain, physical limitations, and tolerance for movement, rather than following a predetermined protocol.
When I couldn't tolerate traditional therapy, my PT moved our sessions into the pool. We worked there until my nervous system and body could tolerate progressive movement, loading, and touch.
That individualized, one-on-one care changed the trajectory of my recovery.
Pilates became another turning point. It gave me the opportunity to explore movement with curiosity rather than fear. I began rebuilding strength, coordination, body awareness, and, perhaps most importantly, trust in my own body.
Eventually, I sought out personal trainers and mentors in the Pilates community who understood injury history, biomechanics, form, and alignment. I needed more than someone to make me stronger. I needed people who could help me progressively challenge my physical capacity without treating my injury history as a permanent limitation.
Eventually, movement became something I could explore and challenge again, rather than something I was constantly trying to protect myself from.
Pain and Suffering Are Not the Same Thing
For a long time, I didn't recognize the difference between the pain caused by my injuries and the suffering that followed. The physical pain was unavoidable, but the anger, anxiety, isolation, and unresolved trauma made an already difficult recovery even harder.
I nearly died. Someone I cared about had caused it. I felt betrayed by the legal system. Medical bills accumulated into six figures, lawsuits followed, and my life became consumed by an event I couldn't undo. There were days I lived in a mental fog, angry and anxious, with the accident replaying in my head like a movie reel.
Looking back, there were things within my control that I could have prioritized to better manage day-to-day life: consistent sleep, adequate nutrition, manageable routines, and staying connected to the people around me.
How Sleep, Stress, and Nutrition Affect Chronic Pain Recovery
We spend so much time discussing exercises, treatments, surgeries, and diagnoses that we sometimes overlook the environment in which recovery actually occurs.
Sleep, nutrition, stress, emotional well-being, social connection, and our beliefs about our bodies can all influence pain, recovery, and our capacity to participate in rehabilitation.
None of this means that pain is imagined, or that positive thinking can heal a fracture. Healing is complex, and our bodies do not operate independently of the lives we are living.
I recognize how much of my suffering was compounded by the psychological aftermath of the accident, and how little attention I gave to that aspect of my recovery. Accepting help is not a loss of independence. Acknowledging that would have relieved myself of some of the unnecessary stress I was carrying.
What I Tell My Patients About Injury Recovery Today
Recovery from injury requires more than treating the injured tissues. Managing pain and physical limitations while keeping up with everyday responsibilities, making decisions about treatment, and adjusting to a new normal can quickly become overwhelming.
Start with the fundamentals. Establish a consistent sleep schedule, eat regularly, and maintain a daily routine that is realistic for your current level of function. Seek support for psychological trauma rather than allowing it to go unaddressed. Work with healthcare professionals who consider your individual circumstances and can modify treatment as your tolerance and physical capacity change.
Pain, setbacks, and uncertainty may be part of the process, but they don't always indicate further injury or a lack of progress. Understanding the difference can help reduce fear around movement and support a gradual return to activity.
Ten years later, I hold a Doctorate in Physical Therapy, teach Pilates, am currently pursuing my second Pilates certification, and have been able to introduce running and higher impact activities into my exercise routine without pain. None of this was a foreseeable outcome in those early days out of the hospital.
Recovering from an injury or living with chronic pain?
You do not have to follow a one-size-fits-all plan. Book a one-on-one session at Physique Health Studio. We build your plan around your body, your pain, and your goals.
