A surfing accident has left a fitness influencer unable to walk. After trying out surfing during a trip to Hawaii, 24-year-old Mississippi-based lifestyle and running influencer Brock Kelly found himself paralyzed from the waist down.
‘Friday morning I was in a rare surfing accident that left me paralyzed from the waist down,’ wrote Kelly to his 100,000 followers in an Instagram post on November 10. “It’s called ‘surfers myelopathy” and it occurs when you hyper-extend your back and it cuts off oxygen to the legs. In simple terms, it’s pretty much a stroke of the lower body.’
According to the NIH, surfer’s myelopathy is traditionally tied to first-time surfers, but can also be triggered by any activity involving hyperextension of the back, such as gymnastics, yoga, and Pilates. The condition is rare, and is often not recognized immediately, due to the fact that it is not traumatic in nature.
Kelly’s mother elaborated on his condition in a Facebook post, saying that he will likely need to stay there for at least a week, until he is strong enough to make the trip back to the mainland.
‘Recovery is uncertain,’ continued Kelly in his post. ‘I may never walk again. But yet again, there’s a chance I make a full recovery.
