Spine Surgery Story Sandra

Updated July 13, 2026

A competitive equestrian, Sandra was thrown from her horse during a practice lesson.

“After I laid down for about half an hour, they tried to sit me up,” she said. “I couldn’t; the pain was too much.”

Sandra had suffered a severe lumbar burst fracture. A bone in her spine shattered, causing a collapse of the vertebrae, and compression on part of the nerve roots and the lower part of the spinal cord.

Sandra’s everyday extraordinary care at Memorial Neuroscience Institute included a spinal fusion and screws to stabilize the fracture.

We are hopeful that Sandra will be able to resume horseback riding after her body heals and she is eager to get back in the saddle. 

“Right now, I don’t even feel like I had a surgery,” she said.