The war in Ukraine has created an epidemic of war-related injuries, leaving many facing long-term disabilities.
Conflict doesn’t just claim lives – it can inflict lasting damage on those who survive. In Ukraine, increasing numbers are left bedridden with fractures, pain, and muscle atrophy. Treatment can save both function and lives, but too few are receiving help quickly enough.
As the conflict enters its fifth year, the strain on Ukraine’s healthcare system is immense.
Body Parts Blown Away
For those near the front lines, it can take days for the wounded to reach qualified medical care at a hospital. Patients often remain on hospital beds for weeks, with many becoming completely bedridden.
Without access to physiotherapy, loss of bodily function, chronic malalignment, and rapid muscle wasting occur. Pain intensifies and becomes chronic. Understandably, fear of movement grows, but the body simply cannot tolerate inactivity – especially when injured.
The injuries we notice in our patients are brutal.
Limbs are hit by projectiles or blown apart. Fragments from explosions penetrate muscles and organs. Fractures are often complex. Surgery follows surgery in the hope of saving a foot, a leg, an arm, or fingers. Often, it ends in amputation.
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Witnessing Gruesome Events
Starting rehabilitation as early as possible is crucial to prevent chronic injuries and, for many, a life of pain. Chronic pain brings constant stress, making rest nearly impossible. Sleep is interrupted by nightmares or pain that won’t subside.
Whereas, prevention is possible, and early intervention is particularly important. Proper treatment and physiotherapy can save both function and lives, and psychologists can provide trauma therapy for painful memories.
The war in Ukraine has created significant mental health problems. Many of the patients we treat have experienced and survived horrific events. The psychological burden on the population is steadily increasing.
Yngvild Breivik, medical coordinator for Doctors Without Borders in Ukraine. Photo: Rolf-Arne Ronaes
Doctors Without Borders runs projects throughout Ukraine: ambulance services, surgery, mobile health clinics, and training in early rehabilitation.
I operate as a medical coordinator, and my team consists of a physiotherapy specialist, a local physiotherapist, a nurse, and a psychologist. We work interprofessionally and provide training to local healthcare personnel in early rehabilitation. The goal is for far more patients to receive qualified help in the critical phase – help that is essential to regain the ability to live a normal life.
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One patient’s story has particularly resonated with me: that of 82-year-vintage Tamara.
Hit by an Explosion
The elderly woman lived alone in a house in Pokrovsk. One day in late July of last year, she was standing outside feeding her dog when she was hit by an explosion. Shrapnel tore through the entire right side of her body. She suffered a hip and arm fracture, elbow dislocation, and extensive damage to muscles and soft tissues.
She was helped by neighbors but remained in severe pain for days before she could be transported to a hospital. Destroyed infrastructure and ongoing fighting often develop access impossible.
When our team met Tamara at the hospital in Dnipro later in the autumn, she had already undergone several surgeries and been bedridden for an extended period. She was a courageous woman – both patient and strong. Together, we developed a tailored rehabilitation plan for her.
A POWERFUL STORY: After days in pain, Tamara finally received help. Her story demonstrates how early treatment saves lives. Photo: Doctors Without Borders
Through physiotherapy, she improved her lung capacity, was able to bend her knee, and eventually got out of bed with support. Conversations with our psychologist helped her to look forward again.
The Story is Not Unique
She hugged her helpers, stroking their arms repeatedly. These are touching moments. Especially in war zones, where hopelessness easily takes over, It’s precisely this that creates new hope.
Doctors Without Borders always works with local staff, often at already established health facilities and hospitals. One of our most important tasks – in addition to contributing specialized resources – is to influence systems where gaps in healthcare prevent necessary help to people who desperately need it. Healthcare is usually possible to provide – and almost as importantly, possible to teach.
Without this treatment, Tamara would likely have struggled to get back on her feet. But while her story made a strong impression on me, it is far from unique.
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Hospitals are Overwhelmed
Patients are stabilized near the front lines before being sent on – often from hospital to hospital, scattered across the country. Hospitals are overwhelmed, operating rooms run continuously, and wards are overcrowded. Access to physiotherapists is around 70 percent below the European average.
The war has been raging for four years. Millions have been displaced, needs are enormous, and too few are getting help in time. Yet, I see every day that the right help, given in time, makes a crucial difference.
Early rehabilitation can be the difference between a life of lasting pain and the ability to stand, walk, and live on. When we invest in holistic treatment, we invest not only in survival but in people’s future – in their ability to find their footing again, even after war.
