Lilly Hanbury

Get Back on that Horse

Lilly Hanbury, 15, from Petersfield, England was horse riding with friends when the horse in front of her kicked and struck her leg. She was left with an open fracture of the tibia. “I didn’t think it hurt much,” Lilly said afterwards, “but I learned later that was because I was in shock. The doctor told my mum that it was a serious break.”

Lilly received two surgeries, but twelve weeks later, when her doctors removed her cast, x-rays revealed that her tibia was not healing. Nine months after the accident, with still no evidence of healing, Lilly’s doctors suggested that she see a specialist.

An experienced equestrian who has been riding since she was age five, Lilly was unable to do that thing she loved, ride her horse. “The injury was a terrible inconvenience,” her mother said. “Worse was the fact that a very spirited young girl couldn’t participate in normal activities, and we couldn’t see an end to the problem.”

After consulting a local orthopedic surgeon, the Hanbury family learned that to fix Lilly’s leg, surgery was necessary that would implant a Russell-Taylor Intramedullary Nail into her leg. Her mother Daphne, a Memphis native, consulted the Memphis-based Campbell Clinic and learned that current research at the Campbell Clinic involved the Russell-Taylor Intramedullary Nail.

The combination of world-class clinical care and cutting-edge research convinced the Hanbury family that Lilly needed to come to Memphis. One week later, Lilly underwent surgery by the Campbell Clinic’s James H. Calandruccio, M.D. and William C. Warner, M.D., who inserted the nail into Lilly’s tibia, securing the rod with locking screws.

After rest and physical therapy, Lilly’s fracture has healed, and now she is back on her horse, playing polo on a club team. She also plays for her school lacrosse team and enjoys another favorite social activity, dancing.