Charlton Nwaefulu – Sports Injury Success Story

Step by step

How Methodist Mansfield helped a local high school student get back on his feet

“Honestly, I just really appreciate walking again,” says 18-year-old Charlton Nwaefulu, as he recounts his journey since that painful day in November when he fractured his femur playing pickup football
with friends.

Attempting to run a play, he tripped over a friend’s leg and fell to the concrete.

“I thought it was just like any other fall, until I tried to get up,” Nwaefulu says. “My body was moving one way and my leg was moving another. I couldn’t feel below my thigh.”

At the Methodist Mansfield Medical Center emergency department, he was diagnosed with a fracture through his left femur. That’s when Jason Lowry, MD, and the Methodist Mansfield orthopedic team took over.

Sturdy support, resounding respect

“Charlton needed a solution that would share the weight of his body with his bone while he healed,” says Dr. Lowry, independently practicing orthopedic surgeon on the medical staff at Methodist Mansfield. “I explained to him and his family that we would be placing a rod into the femur that would greatly ease his healing process.”

Nwaefulu felt comforted by Dr. Lowry’s confidence and respectful attitude toward him and his family.

“One of the things I like most about Dr. Lowry is that he connects with you no matter if you’re 14 or 40,” Nwaefulu says. “He knew how to talk to me and how to talk to my parents.”

The procedure went off without a hitch, and Nwaefulu woke up to a pleasant surprise: “I could feel my leg again; it was a huge relief.”

Rehabilitation, one step at a time

After surgery, Dr. Lowry set Nwaefulu up with a six-month rehabilitation plan. Because of Nwaefulu’s healthy lifestyle and adherence to Dr. Lowry’s plan, he was able to transition to formal rehab in just six weeks.

“Dr. Lowry told me that as long as I followed the plan, I’d get my strength back,” Nwaefulu says, with hefty gratitude in his voice. “I can already walk up stairs again. It feels good to be getting stronger every day.”

From the summer 2013 edition of Shine magazine.