A woman who broke her spine by sneezing spoke of her delight at being able to walk again

A woman who broke her spine as she sneezed has spoken of her delight at being able to walk again after undergoing pioneering back surgery.

Victoria Kenny, 52, was left paralysed when she had a ruptured disc in her spine as she watched TV with her husband, Alan, at their home in Chichester, West Sussex, in April 2007.

Despite three operations on her spine, she was forced to give up her job as a solicitor and was virtually bedridden, resulting in her becoming severely depressed.

However after undergoing a £10,000 operation at the private SpineWorks clinic, which specialises in spinal injuries, she is now back on her feet.

She told the Daily Mail: "The relief was immediate after the operation and I was discharged from hospital the next day.

"But I'm still terrified of sneezing - I sit down and pinch my nose every time I feel one coming on."

During the four-hour operation, a lightweight plastic cage was fitted to the affected section of her spine to stop the disc from collapsing again.

Andrew Quaile, the orthopaedic surgeon who carried out the operation on Mrs Kenny, said coughing or sneezing can rupture spinal discs in extreme cases.