Arsenal’s former player of the season has suffered a frustrating year, being side-lined with a string of ankle, heel and knee problems. The lack of competitive games for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain this season is perhaps admission from Arsene Wenger himself that focusing on developing young talent can be a delicate process.
The mixed messages given by the club doctors and Arsenal’s press team have no doubt infuriated Gunners fans. One minute Wilshere is a ‘medical miracle’, the next his rehabilitation has suffered a major setback.
He was injured while on England duty in June 2011, Wenger seeing a month’s holiday as sufficient recovery time. At the end of July, during Arsenal’s Far East tour, he limped off seven minutes into the game with “ankle inflammation”. Scans suggested it was a short-term issue, however, upon further investigation a stress fracture was revealed, with the subsequent operation ruling him out for 4-5 months. Toward the end of the recovery process he suffered another stress fracture, this time in his calcaneus (heel bone) in late January of this year.
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So has Jack been burned out by Wenger? Mismanaged by the club doctors? Or is it just a case of bad luck?
Some sporting injuries are just unlucky; take Djibril Cisse’s broken leg in 2004 whilst playing for Liverpool against Blackburn. In Wilshere’s case luck doesn’t come in to it. A combination of playing too many games (Wilshere was the most played player for the Gunners in 2010/2011), and poor management on the physicians part is to blame.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Before a return date can be set, any injury must be thoroughly investigated and X-rays and MRI scans are non-invasive methods that are used most frequently. The issue with sending a player for scans is that they are never 100% reliable.
Despite the initial diagnosis being inflammation around his ankle, secondary x-rays will have been taken 7-10 days later (standard medical protocol). The acute inactivity will have led to decalcification of the rested bones and a minor reduction in inflammation, leading to a clearer x-ray and revealing the stress fracture. This was the source of the initial confusion.
It was a recurrence of an injury sustained the age of 16.
Once it will be nice to read an article based on good research.
Are you a doctor? What medical background do you have?
I have a degree in Sports and Exercise Science. I sourced my information from Ronald McRae’s Practical Fracture Treatment 4th ed (2008).
come august jack will be ok, n the club doctor re doing there best to get him up to his feet.
arsenal depend on experts who are paid to be on top of their jobs not on so called lessons learned
Of cause it was Scott, he wouldn’t be an Arsenal player if he wasn’t crocked. It’s a wonder we didn’t buy Kewell, Owen, Hargreaves and Woodgate.
Its a wonder we didnt buy Kewell, Owen, Hargreaves and Woodgate, haha this is the best comment of the day
Ya fuck off, mate!!