A wheelchair using neurosurgeon

Frank Rohrich has used a wheelchair since a glider crash 11 years ago. But it didn't stop him from pursuing a career in neurosurgery. Lukas A Holzer caught up with him

Why did you specialise in neurosurgery?

On the one hand it was my interest in organic neurology and on the other it's the precise hand work in this discipline. It's a good combination.

How did you injure your spinal cord?

It was a glider crash that caused my eighth thoracic vertebra to burst in 1996. The additional radius fracture and the open luxation of the tibiotalar joint healed well, as did the vertebral fracture. The injury to my spinal cord was irreversible, however.

How did it change your life?

Simple activities in daily life became more difficult. For someone with a spinal cord injury a single step on a staircase means the same as a wall or a closed door to a pedestrian. It's terrible, like falling into a deep hole. It's annoying that the ignorance of architects causes many barriers that could easily be avoided. Anyway it doesn't make sense to fall into self pity. I've just learnt to do what I'm able to do. And this is more than I originally expected. I'm still the same person.

How did you continue in your profession?

I wanted to get back into my job. I received lots of help from colleagues. I've been especially lucky to be treated by Dr Hassan-Weiser, who is a very engaged and experienced doctor who treats paraplegic patients. He brought me to a point that I couldn't have reached without his help. He organised rehabilitation so that I could gain more independence. And he contacted a supplier of healthcare equipment who was willing to custom make a wheelchair for me for use in the operating theatre.

How has the injury affected your career?

I received support to finish my training as a neurosurgeon. I saw that surgery was possible with the help of the right devices. After board certification my employment expired. Imagine applying for a job with a handicap that you can't hide: it raises questions that wouldn't be asked of a person without a visible disability. The radiologist from my former hospital saved me from going to the employment centre. I was allowed to work at his department for a year. Then there was a coincidence. As a trauma patient I was examined by my present boss at the Berufsgenossenschaftliche Klinik Bergmannstrost, in Halle an der Saale. He offered me a position in his department. I accepted his offer and now I'm able again to do most of my former work.

Did your attitude to your work change?

My attitude towards my job hasn't changed by the crash. You don't have to experience my fate to care better for patients. If a person needs such an experience, then he or she's not the right person for medicine.

Our department for spinal cord injuries is headed by orthopaedic surgeons, which means that I don't do any more brain surgery. But I have learnt new techniques-for example, spinal surgery, orthopaedics, and the management of chronic wounds. But I already had good expertise in implantation of drug pumps and electrodes for the epidural stimulation of the spinal cord in chronic pain syndrome, for example.

How have you remained active in neurosurgery?

The hospital is wheelchair friendly. Patients' beds can be moved about during their treatment because the architects designed the facilities without steps. So wheelchair users are not handicapped in the hospital and can work like everyone else. A healthcare company has produced movable standing boards and standing wheelchairs. I get only positive reactions and support from colleagues. But there are some things that I can't do well, for which I need support-for example, positioning patients in the operating theatre.

What do patients think about you?

You had better ask them. Contact with patients is easy whether they are wheelchair users or able bodied. In some situations I can speak from my own experience. This might increase my authenticity.

Did your injury inspire you to conduct research in this discipline?

My attitude toward research has always been positive. The idea to be part of future concepts in treatment has always caused enthusiasm.

What advice do you have for students?

Stay interested, stay self critical, listen, and despite all your daily work stay focused on your visions and aims. Only then will they become reality.

Competing interests: None declared.

Provenance and peer review: Not commissioned; not externally peer reviewed.

       

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