End of the Line

You don’t hear about career ending injuries so much anymore thanks to the medical advances that have been made over the years and the ready availability of horse placenta… Well perhaps not the horse placenta – or maybe there’s something I’m missing here? More about horse placenta another time.

West Ham and England striker Dean Ashton has recently announced his retirement from football at just 26 having failed to recover from a chronic ankle injury. Ashton originally broke his left ankle in 2006 during an England training session (following a heavy challenge from Shaun Wright-Phillips) and subsequently missed the entire 2006/7 season.

He returned to play 35 games in 2007/8 and made his England debut under Fabio Capello, however in training for the new season in September 2008 he sustained a further ankle injury that has led to his recent retirement. Ashton underwent 5 operations in a bid to prolong his career and is still unable to walk properly despite extensive rehabilitation and independent medical advice. We wish Ashton all the best for the future.

Rumors in the press over recent days have suggested that Ashton may be looking to take legal action against Wright-Phillips for ending his career. Unfortunately the precedent for legal action of this type is already there. Most recently it was seen in the case of the Manchester United player Ben Colett who was awarded £4.3 million following a career ending challenge from Middlesbrough's Gary Smith despite not being a first team player.

What I found unsettling about all this is that it has filtered down to the ambulance chasers (did someone say no win no fee?) who actively advertise on their sites about how dangerous sport is and how you can claim for an injury you have received. Not good.

www.fitforsportclinic.com

Jonny Wilkinson – The Bionic Man

Somewhat reminiscent of The Bionic Man, Jonny Wilkinson made a welcome return to Twickenham at the weekend. A confident and assured performance was not enough to insure England’s victory but it was enough for many to believe that he can finally turn the corner and put his injury nightmare behind him. Perhaps more remarkable than his performance is the journey that led to Jonny lining up at Twickenham for the first time since the 2008 Six Nations and his first autumn international since 2002.


Winning the RWC in 2003 should have been the catalyst for a long and illustrious career, instead it was the start of a six-year run of injuries that has threatened to end his career and overshadow his prodigious talent. Jonny’s injuries include:

Dec 2003 Fractured right shoulder (3 weeks)
Feb 2004 C4 and C5 vertebrae compression and nerve damage Shoulder and neck surgery (28 weeks)
Oct 2004 Right bicep haematoma (6 weeks)
Jan 2005 MCL tear left knee (8 weeks)
Mar 2005 MCL tear left knee (4 weeks)
Jul 2005 Stinger right shoulder (8 weeks)
Sep 2005 Inflamed appendix followed by appendectomy (4 weeks)
Nov 2005 Gilmore’s groin followed by surgery (8 weeks)
Jan 2006 Torn adductor (12 weeks)
Sep 2006 MCL tear right knee (4 weeks)
Nov 2006 Lacerated Kidney (6 weeks)
Feb 2007 Hamstring tear (6 weeks)
Sep 2007 Lateral ankle injury (1 week)
May 2008 Shoulder surgery (unspecified)
Oct 2008 Dislocated patella (20 weeks)

What impresses me most about Jonny is his motivation and desire to return to the game he loves time after time. From the interviews I’ve seen he cuts a more relaxed figure these days and seems to be enjoying his rugby, which by his own omission, has often been difficult for him to do.

Welcome back Jonny.

On a personal note it has been a good week, I’ve had 4 matches (2 football and 2 rugby) and I have been relatively unscathed by the advancing winter weather; I’m sure the coming weeks won’t be so kind!

It was good to get out for my first rugby matches of the season and, compared to some of the games that I have worked at, it was a quiet day at the office. I have also started some observation work with one of Arsenal’s physios and am looking to finalise another great opportunity in the coming days. More about this later…

www.fitforsportclinic.com