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Incredible moment paraplegic man moves leg for the first time since accident five years ago

A man who was paralysed after a motorbike accident has miraculously regained movement in his left leg for the first time in five years.

Troy Cook, from Goulburn in New South Wales, broke his back after crashing a dirt bike on August 14, 2011.

“A piece of bone pierced my spinal cord,” Mr Cook told 7 News Online.

“The surgeon spoke to me in the morning and basically said I was broken in half.

“At that stage I didn’t have any feeling from the waist down in either one of my legs.”

The 47-year-old father of two underwent surgery and intensive rehabilitation and, after three months, he began to regain feeling in his right leg.

Troy Cook broke his back after a motorbike accident in 2011. Photo: Facebook/Troy Cook
Troy Cook broke his back after a motorbike accident in 2011. Photo: Facebook/Troy Cook

While it continued to grow stronger and stronger, his left leg was still numb.

It wasn’t until 2014, three years after his accident, that Mr Cook began to notice his left leg was starting to respond.

But his progress was soon halted after a second motorbike accident in October, 2015.

“Believe it or not, I modified a four-wheeler dirt bike so I could still go riding with my friends and stuff… and I had an accident and I broke my left shoulder and my left leg,” he said.

The injuries from the second crash left him disheartened after he was unable to continue his rehabilitation.

“I couldn’t go to the physio, couldn’t go to the gym, so that was pretty depressing. It halted my progress for sure,” he said.

Six weeks ago, Mr Cook decided to "stop feeling sorry" for himself and visited Optimum Health Solutions in Goulburn to restart his rehabilitation.

Already his results have amazed him, as he is now able to fully extend his left leg on his own.

Troy pictured with his partner Kylie. Photo: Facebook/Kylie Wilson
Troy pictured with his partner Kylie. Photo: Facebook/Kylie Wilson

A video posted to the clinic’s Facebook page earlier this week, shows Mr Cook lying on a reformer and using his left leg to push his body up and down.

He said he couldn’t believe he was able to do it alone.

“I was looking at his (the physiotherapist’s) hands because I thought he must’ve been pushing the trolley,” Mr Cook said.

“I just felt a huge lump in my throat.”

While he still has no feeling in his ankle or foot, Mr Cook said he is extremely happy with his progress and plans to uphold a promise he made to his parents after the first accident.

“When I first got hurt I told my parents not to worry, that I’d be fine and I’d definitely, definitely walk again.”

Today's top news stories – December 9