Injured Bay surfboat racer unable to move legs

MICHELE McPHERSON | 3rd March 2008

SURFBOAT racer Dan Matuschka - who became temporarily paralysed from the head down during a race at Waihi Beach last month - is back in hospital today after losing the ability to move his legs.

The 18-year-old apprentice carpenter received what his doctor described as an "incredibly forceful blow" to the back of the neck after falling from his position as sweep while competing with local men's surfboat team Mt White.

Speaking from Tauranga Hospital today, Mr Matuschka said his recovery took a turn for the worse last Thursday when he spent the day in bed suffering severe dizzy spells and blurred vision.

"I was just extremely dizzy. I'd been in bed all day and I got up and I was walking into walls,"he said.

By 9pm that night he was in hospital, returning home six hours later.

Over the next two days he was losing feeling throughout his body for short periods and by Saturday night had lost the ability to lift his legs off the ground.

Doctors were initially concerned there may be bleeding or swelling in his brain, but a CT scan came back all clear.

Mr Matuschka said doctors now believed the loss of feeling may be caused by a pinched nerve or slipped disc putting pressure on his spine.

Either today or tomorrow he will undergo an MRI scan on his head and spine, which doctors hope will reveal the problem.

Described by teammate Marty Wouters as having an abundance of energy, the frustration of not being able to get around is one of the greatest challenges for Mr Matuschka.

"He's always going to be mobile, that's just Dan," saidMr Wouters.

After pushing himself around on a commode for the past two days, this morning he was looking forward to the prospect of being allowed a wheelchair . "I've been getting in quite a bit of trouble with the nurses," he said.

At the moment he is taking only Panadol for a sore back and headaches.

Mr Wouters said while it had been difficult for Mr Matuschka to watch competition from the sidelines, he had his sights firmly fixed on being back in the boat when the crew travels to France to compete in the World Surfboat Champs in September.