July 2010
Advancements in surgery and accelerated recovery are helping world-renowned footballer David Beckham to move closer to resuming his career following an Achilles tendon injury in March this year. More recently England captain Rio Ferdinand‘s knee ligament injury ended his dreams of the World Cup 2010. Both of them are expected to make a full recovery and return to top-level football.
It’s not just sports professionals such as Beckham and Ferdinand that need to get back to work quickly. Ordinary people and ‘weekend footballers’ also need to return to their busy lifestyles following sports injuries. This was the case of company managing director, Chris Gorse, 45, from Sandal, Wakefield, who suffered a knee injury during an aggressive five-a-side football game for his work's sport team. Thanks to the advanced treatment and accelerated recovery programme at Spire Leeds Hospital, he is now on the mend.
Chris Gorse on his motorbike
What’s more, his son Luke, 16, also suffered a knee injury following an accident in December 2009 when he competed as a sponsored rider for his off-road motorcycle racing team, True Grit.
Both Chris and Luke needed surgery and wanted to get back to work/studies/play as quickly as possible. Ram Venkatesh, MS FRCS, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Spire Leeds Hospital, successfully carried out surgery on both father and son. Chris underwent Cruciate Ligament repair involving arthroscopic surgery, a precise minimal invasive surgical techniqye that is minimally invasive and useing high-definition cameras at Spire Leeds Hospital. The benefits are less pain, minimal scarring and reduced recovery time than traditional surgical procedures.
“Chris’s recovery has been accelerated because Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery is now done as a day case procedure and the recover is improved with an accelerated rehabilitation programme with specialist physiotherapy. He was back at work within a week and should be able to get back to football in six to eight months.”
Chris’s son Luke had meniscus repair surgery to mend a torn cartilage followed by a special programme of physiotherapy and was back on his motorbike in just four weeks.
“Luke was desperate to ride again and not lose his bike fitness,” said Chris, who runs an architectural hardware company in Ossett. “He was also in his final year of high school and taking GCSE Sport, where he had to attain high levels in rugby, interval training, football and dodgeball.” Luke has now completed his practical for GSCE Sport and is continuing sport at ‘A’ level at Pontefract college.
Mr Venkatesh explains that we are seeing increasing incidence of ACL injuries both from contact sports and skiing. “Knee arthroscopy and menisectomy is one of the most common surgeries performed in orthopaedics. Newer techniques in arthroscopic surgery have also improved our ability to repair rather than trim meniscus tears and thereby reduce the risk of arthritis,” he said.
Chris and Luke are now looking forward to making a full recovery. Chris said, “Our goal is to compete together in an Iron Man motorcycle event by the end of this year.”