Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is out of hospital after a nasty fall at a holiday rental last weekend injuring his spine and breaking ribs, beginning a “significant” period of rehabilitation at home.
The Alfred’s director of trauma services Professor Mark Fitzgerald said Mr Andrews had responded well without surgery so far.
“Mr Andrews has responded well without surgery so far, and the work to improve his strength and mobility must now begin,” he said.
“As the rehabilitation journey gets underway, we will watch closely for any signs of worsening spinal stability or alignment, as well as the development of other complications.
Professor Fitzgerald said that when a person has a spinal injury of this nature, “stability and alignment of the spine can be maintained without surgery”.
Tweet from @AlfredHealth
The Alfred said Mr Andrews would do his rehabilitation through its Better@Home service.
The premier is recovering from a broken vertebrae and several cracked ribs after a fall last Tuesday, following a long weekend spent with his family at a holiday rental on the Mornington Peninsula.
He was initially treated at Peninsula Private Hospital but transferred to Alfred Trauma Centre in Melbourne after specialists assessed an MRI scan.
He was cleared of any internal or head injuries.
“Heartfelt thanks to the entire team at @AlfredHealth for taking such good care of me. We’re so very grateful,” Mr Andrews tweeted on Wednesday.
The Alfred Hospital said in a statement that he is making good progress, but again warns that he faces a lengthy time in rehabilitation.
Deputy Premier James Merlino is serving as acting premier in Mr Andrews’ absence.
On Thursday, Mr Merlino said the premier was “up and about”.
“He’s fine, he was up and about … but this is the first few days since he suffered this serious injury, so his focus is getting better and the care he needs,” he said.
On Saturday, he tweeted that he was was getting out of ICU and into “new digs”.
Tweet from @DanielAndrewsMP
On Sunday night, the premier, in good spirits, tweeted a photo of artwork and get well messages from children who attend the Alfred Child Care Centre, referencing the iconic Australian movie The Castle, saying the drawings were ‘straight to the pool room”.
Tweet from @DanielAndrewsMP
The post Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews discharged to start home rehabilitation after spinal injury appeared first on The New Daily.
**Know benefits of facebook marketing --http://bit.ly/2RgChw3