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Treatment Table Issues

Ok, enough. Three players have now been 'set back' in their recovery from serious injury in the past 2 weeks. Granted, they are serious, so there will always be complications. BUT it always seems to be our players who struggle to come back (Arteta, Jags, Victor, Vaughan, Yak...). I mean even Ferguson was never ever free from injury?

Are we doing something wrong in the recovery process? Are we trying to treat ligament damage with a cold bandage, some spray and TCP? I'm not having another go at the club and being overly critical, but rehabilitation always seems to be an issue with us.
Ste Boyle, Liverpool Posted 11/11/2009 at 16:09:03

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David Barks
1 Posted 11/11/2009 at 21:52:32

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Arteta’s been using his own doctor in Spain and suffered from a freak infection, Jagielka had a cartilage issue during the latter stages of recovery which can happen fairly often at that stage of recovery, and Anichebe’s issue was completely different again with rapid bone growth. Three different issues, one completely out of the touch of the Everton physios, but not uncommon.

The reason they seem unheard of is simply because it is fairly unheard of to have the amount of players we have out with similar knee injuries, I think the count is currently at four. So when one person has this injury and there is a minor setback, it doesn’t sound too unusual. But when the number injured is quadrupled, and the rehabilitation issues pop up as they often due, it sounds strange. But in reality, athletes coming back from these knee injuries often encounter setbacks during their recovery, it’s not an Everton thing.

Stewart Littler
2 Posted 12/11/2009 at 01:34:52

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Joe Cole was missing for 9 months (a Chelsea player) with the same injury as Jags and Arteta — Arteta’s comeback time will be around about the same, whilst Jags looks like being shorter.

How long has Owen Hargreaves (Man Utd) been out? Jimmy Bullard (Fulham) had numerous setbacks. As David sets out above, all three ’setbacks’ are not uncommon problems with knee ligament injuries and the Club have amply explained all of this.

Martin Cutler
3 Posted 12/11/2009 at 05:47:56

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Or it’s just another excuse to have a moan and have a go at the club and it’s staff? How silly to think there’s a conspiracy or something wrong or we aren’t doing the right thing "just because" we have a set of injuries... we’re just plain fucking unlucky with injuries —That’s all.

Michael Brien
4 Posted 12/11/2009 at 07:54:26

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I have to agree with Martin Cutler on this - we have been unlucky with injuries to put it mildly. I am sure that it’s very frustrating to read these headlines concerning various setbacks, especially when you take into account the other injuries we have had. However, I think it must be a bit more frustrating for the players themselves don’t you think?

Steve Pugh
5 Posted 12/11/2009 at 08:38:55

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We win against West Ham, not too much to complain about there, so let's find something else to moan about.

Hmmm, nothing tangible so lets find a molehill and see if we can’t turn it into a mountain.

Tony Williams
6 Posted 12/11/2009 at 09:00:16

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If you actually note, each set back has nothing to do with the original injury: an infection (possibly due to the surgery), a cartliage issue, nothing to do with the ligament damage, and an adverse effect to a bolt in the knee. Nothing Baz could have done to have prevented any of them.

Ste Boyle
7 Posted 12/11/2009 at 10:57:14

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Steve,
And here was me thinking this was a discussion forum where like-minded Evertonians discussed all things Everton. As you probably know, there isn't much sunshine in the club at the moment and I'm just raising a valid point to see what people thought.

I do agree though, it does seem more serious when it's your own club and you do forget the likes of Cole, Bullard and especially Hargreaves who haven't played for a long time.

Roger Domal
8 Posted 12/11/2009 at 14:54:17

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Five or ten years ago, these types of knee injuries would have been career enders.

The players are bigger, faster and stronger than ever. And their injuries prove that out. Recovery is difficult. (I have had 5 surgeries on my right knee alone). It is simple to push it too far in recovery and reinjure yuorslef. I did it twice, and I’m not in their shape at all.

Mike Gaynes
9 Posted 12/11/2009 at 16:53:14

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Let’s also give credit where it’s due. For the Yak to be back on the field a year after a ruptured Achilles is extraordinary. If he was working with the Everton physios during his rehab, they deserve some of the applause. I think it’s actually possible that in another year Yak might be back to full performance levels, and I don’t know of any other top athlete who has ever pulled that off.

Keith Glazzard
10 Posted 12/11/2009 at 19:52:08

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We possibly know more about Everton players’ injuries and their rehabilitation — setbacks included — than many of us will be told about our own conditions by our own doctors.

There are physicians, doctors, physios and various paramedics who charge for their services who will lie to you — as long as their bills are paid. Having been mis-diagnosed by various of this lot over 15 years for a life-limiting condition which was eventually cured for a 20p tablet a day, I don’t have total faith in any of them.

But perhaps some posters on this site are better informed than the rest of this lot. Everton FC, as far as I can tell, don’t have to tell us anything.

Karl Masters
11 Posted 13/11/2009 at 00:52:01

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Nothing unusual. Serious injuries that are career threatening and setbacks are always possible.

What EFC must not do (and thankfully don’t seem to be doing) is rush them back. Impatience is our biggest enemy.

Also, give them all time to regain match sharpness. The injury Yak had was even more serious in some ways (he was back in 9 months and it’s an injury that used to mean 12 months — Trevor Francis for example) but he’s taken nearly another 3 months to look anything like match fit and it will be longer still before he finds top form. So don’t expect too much of Arteta, Vic and Jags for a while.

Pienaar, Neville, Osman etc should be back up to speed much quicker.

Michael Brien
12 Posted 13/11/2009 at 07:08:33

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A very good point, Karl. I am sure in the past because we have a small squad, previously injured players have been brought back into the team before they should have been. Rushing players back, as you say, would only make matters worse.

Our situation re injuries is the best argument for having a bigger squad. I don’t think any Evertonian expects us to have a squad the size of the likes of any of the Sky 4, but it is clear that we need 2 or 3 more players at the very least. Even if they are loan players, it would be an improvement on the numbers.

As Karl has said, once Arteta, Anichebe and Jagielka do get back, we need to be patient as clearly they will need some games to get back to full match fitness.

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