Posted On: April 28, 2025 by Community HealthCare System in: Patient story
April is National Occupational Therapy Month
Donna Gilliland believes in the power of occupational therapy (OT). After receiving OT services for 8 months post a difficult and eight (8) hour C-spine operation, she has regained strength in her arms and legs, making her day-to-day tasks possible once again.
Gilliland underwent the neuro surgical procedure in September 2024 to repair vertebrae that were compressing her spinal cord. Due to the spinal cord compression, she had very unstable walking and the operation entailed the surgeon manually “walking” those vertebrae away from her spinal cord. The surgery left her without the ability to raise her arms. While she knew going into the surgery that some functional loss was possible, it was a shock when she learned she had lost nearly all functions.
Prior to her surgery, Gilliand had walking issues, including shuffling her feet and not being able to stand straight. She was referred to neurology, but since she was pain free,
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