A Northwich woman who broke nine ribs and punctured a lung in a riding accident has had her ribcage rebuilt using titanium technology.

Barbara Schofield, an experienced horse rider of 20 years, fell underneath her horse after the saddle slipped while out riding on September 13, 2014.

Her Dutch gelding Figaro, who stands at 16.2 hands (5ft 5 inch), accidently trampled on her leaving nine broken ribs on the left hand side broken and six with multiple fractures. The damage also caused air and blood to go between her lung and rib cage which was an additional complication.

The 52-year-old was treated at The Royal Liverpool University Hospital, one of only a handful of hospitals in the country to use this latest technology which makes it possible for ribs to heal faster with lower levels of pain for the patient.

This innovative new technique is being carried out by highly skilled orthopaedic surgeons at both the Royal Liverpool University Hospital and Aintree University Hospital as part of the Cheshire and Mersey Trauma Centre Collaborative. The collaborative, which includes the Walton Centre, provides highly specialist care to patients with life threatening major trauma injuries.

After the accident Barbara was taken by ambulance to the hospital’s emergency department, where she was immediately cared for by a trauma team and orthopaedic surgeons.

Reconstruction began resulting in an extremely anxious six hour wait for Steve, Barbara’s husband along with close family and friends.

Within 10 weeks Barbara, 52, a part-time clinical physiologist in cardiology at Warrington Hospital was back in the saddle for the first time since the accident attempting to regain her confidence.

She said: “I’m delighted with the innovative surgery Sanjay Kalra performed-he has worked wonders and I am extremely grateful to him as his expertise has resulted in a much more timely and successful recovery. I was very impressed with the whole major trauma team, they were so well organised and efficient.

Normally broken ribs take at least six weeks to heal but in Barbara’s case it could have taken even longer because of potential complications with multiple breaks on six of the broken ribs.

She added: “I realised that this surgery was quite novel and I’m lucky to have had this technology and procedure on my doorstep, in Liverpool. It’s been a bit of a joke with friends and colleagues referring to me as ‘barbed wire’ instead of Barbara and also the ‘bionic woman’! I’ve not been through the security body scanners at an airport yet, they will probably never have seen anything quite like it!

“I have recovered very well indeed. I am still a little hindered by weakness and slight numbness down my left side due to nerve damage from the accident but am feeling confident that this will reduce with time and the help of physiotherapy at my local hospital.”

Sanjay Kalra, consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon, said: “The pain of multiple broken ribs is excruciating so patients naturally try not to move around much. Because taking deep breaths and coughing is painful, there’s an increased risk of pneumonia because phlegm can build up within the lungs and can often become infected.

“With this technology the procedure we use not only reduces the risk of complications but encourages a faster return to normal function. It is only recommended for patients who have suffered severe chest trauma with multiple broken ribs. The results and patient outcomes have been excellent for patients like Barbara at the both the Royal and Aintree hospitals.”