Stephanie Kooijman's crash landing from a horse on Sunday is turning out to be worse than expected. A CT-scan showed that Stephanie's sacrum has been fractured in two places.
Kooijman fell off a horse on Sunday 14 January 2018 and was transported to the hospital in Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands. She stayed there overnight with lower back pain and a loss of sensation in her left leg. On Monday afternoon a CT scan was done and it did not give the hoped for news.
Kooijman was diagnosed with two fractures of the sacrum and therefore transported to the St. Elisabeth clinic in Tilburg where she was operated on Tuesday afternoon 16 January.
'I'm still in the hospital and in a lot of pain," Kooijman told Eurodressage two days after her operation. "The fractures were too big and had to be stabilized. Initially I was allowed to start moving on Wednesday, but the pain was very persistant. I also have a big swelling, which presses on a nerve that causes pain and loss of strength in my left leg. Once the swelling goes, the pain should go too and my strength should return."
Kooijman was able to get out of her bed and outside to catch a bit of fresh air in a wheelchair.
If all goes well, she's allowed to leave the hospital on Saturday.
"It still is a very long road, but together with my physio and all lovely people around me, I'll work very hard at getting back on a horse as soon as possible," Kooijman added.
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Stephanie Kooijman Hospitalized After Fall