'I couldn't carry on for a full season'

BRIAN O’DRISCOLL will have surgery on a trapped nerve in a shoulder next week and has been given a rough recovery time of six months. That rules him out of Leinster’s six pool matches in the Heineken Cup and the 2012 Six Nations Championship.

The operation will be carried out by orthopaedic surgeon Ashley Poynton at the Mater Hospital.

The Ireland captain confirmed he consulted several specialists about the problem and they all agreed surgery was needed to resolve the problem.

“Post-World Cup I saw a few specialists and they were all saying the same thing,” he said.

“It was just a case of what surgery (had to be performed) more than when. There have been different surgeons looking at different scans and (it was about) getting as many opinions as possible. Sometimes it is a relief when they are all saying the same thing.

“This is not just a rugby-based thing, but a quality of life post-rugby as well. So I suppose that makes it a little bit easier to get the surgery.

“I probably initially started feeling it in the Six Nations this year, certain collisions or when collisions came and I wasn’t expecting it.

“Those sort of jolts, when you are not ready for them, can have more of an impact on you.

“It wasn’t just a case of being able to deal with the pain: it’s when you have loss of movement and power. It goes and comes back, I’m not playing at 100 per cent and I can’t continue to do that for a full season.”

Courageous to a fault, a trait that has been as evident in his career as has his talent, he has simply gritted his teeth and played through the injury.

“It was a factor (at the World Cup),” he admitted, “there in the background, and I was trying to manage myself a bit.

“I knew that I couldn’t carry on for a full season and I was lucky to have gotten through certain parts of the World Cup, albeit I did improve doing that. From a medical point of view it wasn’t a case of not being fit to play. I wasn’t in any danger; I just had to be able to deal with a fair bit of discomfort and at times a lack of power.”

He said the time needed to recover would be clearer after surgery and once he had begun rehabilitation.

“It’s largely dependent on rehab. Obviously the job itself is . . . when you’re going into that area of the body, it’s not straight-forward. I wouldn’t say it’s common, but it has been done a number of times by this surgeon, so he’s hugely experienced.

“I’m sure he’ll be able to, after a couple of months, give me more of a timeline around how the rehab is going and how things have settled. I think that’s why I’ve accepted it at this stage. I knew I couldn’t keep carrying on as it was.

“It’s just a realisation that it’s part and parcel of what we do. I’ve had one six-month lay-off before (2005, shoulder surgery following that spear tackle in the first Lions Test in New Zealand) and it’s hard, but I’m lucky at the same time that I haven’t picked up more long-term injuries in my career: two in 12 years isn’t a bad outcome.

“He’s (the surgeon) given me the likelihood, percentage-wise, of what are my chances of getting back. It’s pretty realistic. I do have the rest of my life to think about as well, and if there was any chance of playing through discomfort again then probably the smart move would be to call it a day: but that’s thinking very far ahead and we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

“As far as I’m concerned, there’s huge positivity to be taken from the results that have been seen on this (type of) injury before, and I’ve seen plenty of guys come back from it so there’s no reason why not.

“I haven’t really allowed myself to think about what to discount and what not (in terms of matches or tours). I’m kind of just keen to get it done. I would have got it done this week but the surgeon in question is away, so that’s why I’ll get it done next week.”

He’ll draw on the experience during his time on the sideline. “I’ve done six months myself so I know how to deal with it. It’s not something new to me. It’s hard sitting out any game, provincial or international, but the big thing for me is that when you are not involved and the team is going well they are not missing you and if they’re going badly you feel you can give them a dig out.

“That’s the hard part, it’s a no-win situation. So you just have to try and stay as positive as possible during injury, and sometimes it makes you hungrier when you get back.”

“I do have the rest of my life to think about as well, and if there was any chance of playing through discomfort again then probably the smart move would be to call it a day: but that’s thinking very far ahead and we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.