News

Boost For Fuller Over Hip Injury

1 March 2014

James Fuller has been told the hip injury, which developed during his winter in New Zealand, does not require surgery.

The news has come as a timely boost to the pace bowler, who now has every chance of being fit for the start of the season.

James returned to England early to get treatment on his injury amid fears that he would need to undergo an operation.

The club quickly got him an appointment with a surgeon, whose opinion was that the injury can be cured without going under the knife.

Gloucestershire’s Director of cricket John Bracewell told this website: “James has seen a specialist since returning to us and the advice was for him to have treatment, rather than undergo an operation.

“That was a relief because the information we were getting from New Zealand was that surgery should be carried out straight away.

“If that had been the case, we would probably have had to write James off for pretty much the whole of the coming season.

“Most surgeons only get paid when they use the knife, so we were pleased when the one we consulted decided that it wasn’t necessary.”

John describes the problem as one which builds up over a period of time when a bowler continually jams down on his front hip.

“The injury is basically a fattening of the bone from the socket of the hip where it joins the femur,” he said. “When it gets enlarged it can rub and calcify to a certain degree.

“If it becomes extreme, it is necessary to have the bone scraped and thinned out. It is a wear-and-tear injury, rather than one which occurs at a specific moment.

“You have to be careful with it. But recovery from operations takes time, so if we can bring about an improvement through treatment it is clearly the best option.

“James is off duties at the moment in terms of bowling and any pivotal exercise. He can bat and run in a straight line, but something like a game of golf is not possible with the problem he has.

“He can do weights to maintain his general fitness and, as things stand, we are confident that he will be fit for the start of the season.”

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