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Ross Newton ’04 is experiencing improvement in his recovery at a New England hospital following a wrestling injury suffered last month.
Competing in his second season for the Wrestling Club, Newton suffered an incomplete fracture between his C4 and C5 vertebrae during the Third Annual Doug Cherry ’58 Duals Feb. 16 at Kirby Sports Center. The vertebrae were jarred, shifting out of alignment, which tore the associated ligament and bruised the spinal cord.
“Two guys were each trying to score points, and I just ended up getting my neck hurt,” says Newton, who competed in the 133-pound weight class. “From the neck down I felt tingly and could not budge.”
Newton was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem for 12 days before being transferred to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, Mass. He has regained “quite a bit” of feeling in his arms, improvement in the area below the injury, and some feeling in the rest of his body as well.
“I’ve made a lot of progress – more than some people expected,” says Newton. “It’s a start. I’m gradually getting better.”
Newton, who also wrestled in high school, is a history major from Derry, N.H. He can be contacted by writing:
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
Room 712
125 Nashua Street
Boston, MA 02114