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Head of Medical Paul Gambles recently spoke to the Millers' official matchday programme...
It’s always disappointing to hear that one of your players has to undergo surgery. It was particularly frustrating for all of us this week to hear that Vass (Kyle Vassell) would be having an operation to help with his groin/abdominal problems.
It’s something that he’s been suffering with for some time now and it’s not allowed him to train and play freely without some level of pain.
It’s been complicated by the fact that he’s actually been suffering from two injuries in a similar area, providing similar sorts of symptoms. As one has got better- the other has got worse.
We’ve tried various courses of action and sought lots of different advice, including our international colleagues with Ireland and from time-to-time thought that we might have found a solution - only for the problem to come grumbling back.
Rest, painkillers, stretching, strengthening - for various muscle groups have all been tried. The research on this type of injury has been scoured over and over again and our combined experiences put to the test, but unfortunately nothing has led to the significant improvement we had hoped for.
It just shows that injuries and medicine is not always black and white, there are a lot of grey areas which demand you to think laterally and outside the box for solutions and remedies.
The surgery that Vass has undergone is relatively minor and involved him being treated as a day case in hospital but for me, this will always be the last option. Surgery has moved on immensely over the years and what were once complicated and difficult taking a number of hours are run of the mill, everyday occurrences.
However, as with any procedure, there is always an element of risk and it’s not something to be entered into lightly - it’s also not an easy option. Surgery may help cure the problem but it may not solve what caused it eg a lack of strength or mobility, so further hard work follows for Vass to ensure that the problem doesn’t return.
This won’t be an overnight return there are potentially weeks of rehab ahead and a date towards the end of March is likely.
Obviously we all wish him well in his recovery from his op and can’t wait to see him back to his old self hustling and bustling defenders around the pitch.
Cheers
Gams