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Given the pessimism after Saturday’s MRI suggested another navicular stress fracture, the latest news was as good as Hawthorn and Day could have hoped for.
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The navicular is a famously difficult injury to recover from. GWS forward Jesse Hogan had difficulties for years but was able to get back to his best again, while former Melbourne captain Jack Trengove said he was never the same after his navicular trouble.
Trengove spent years rolling over in the morning and gingerly putting his foot out from under the doona wondering what would happen next. Those moments before his foot touched the floor were awful. Was it going to hurt again? Was it back?
Trengove’s experience was the navicular often gave few warning signs.
“It is one of those injuries that has a habit of sneaking up on you,” he said.
“You don’t get red flags, but you wake up and go to get up and it’s there. I spent years anxiously putting my foot out of bed in the morning wondering if there was going to be pain.
Jack Trengove leading the Demons onto the MCG in 2013.Credit: Sebastian Costanzo
“It’s hard to compare case to case because they are so very different in the reasons why they come up and how they come up and how you get on top of them.
“Whenever I hear of someone having a navicular [injury], I always think, ‘take extra caution and extra time’ because I probably didn’t give it the respect it deserved. I had not really been injured before, and figured I would be out for a bit and get straight back into it.
“Mine went from stress reaction to a fracture, to surgery and screws put in, then it cracked through the screws again, then they put bone marrow in and a graft in. My leg was never the same afterwards.”
For a footballer the foot is the worst of injuries. The game requires constant running, jumping and the agility to repeatedly change direction, not to mention kicking the ball, all of which puts enormous strain through the feet.
“Everything you do, you can’t get away from your tools of trade,” he said.
“Your body is different by the time you get back. And mentally it is hard because you spend so much time being unable to do anything, and you spend your time reading about it and learning. You get a pain and wonder if that is normal pain or bad pain? Is it something to worry about?
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“You spend an extended period doing nothing and your whole leg disintegrates, and all those years of training and work you have put into your legs goes, and you have to build it up.
“You need to take as much time as you can. Don’t push it. It’s well publicised the navicular has very low blood supply, so that healing part of the process takes longer.”
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Given the pessimism after Saturday’s MRI suggested another navicular stress fracture, the latest news was as good as Hawthorn and Day could have hoped for.
Loading
The navicular is a famously difficult injury to recover from. GWS forward Jesse Hogan had difficulties for years but was able to get back to his best again, while former Melbourne captain Jack Trengove said he was never the same after his navicular trouble.
Trengove spent years rolling over in the morning and gingerly putting his foot out from under the doona wondering what would happen next. Those moments before his foot touched the floor were awful. Was it going to hurt again? Was it back?
Trengove’s experience was the navicular often gave few warning signs.
“It is one of those injuries that has a habit of sneaking up on you,” he said.
“You don’t get red flags, but you wake up and go to get up and it’s there. I spent years anxiously putting my foot out of bed in the morning wondering if there was going to be pain.
Jack Trengove leading the Demons onto the MCG in 2013.Credit: Sebastian Costanzo
“It’s hard to compare case to case because they are so very different in the reasons why they come up and how they come up and how you get on top of them.
“Whenever I hear of someone having a navicular [injury], I always think, ‘take extra caution and extra time’ because I probably didn’t give it the respect it deserved. I had not really been injured before, and figured I would be out for a bit and get straight back into it.
“Mine went from stress reaction to a fracture, to surgery and screws put in, then it cracked through the screws again, then they put bone marrow in and a graft in. My leg was never the same afterwards.”
For a footballer the foot is the worst of injuries. The game requires constant running, jumping and the agility to repeatedly change direction, not to mention kicking the ball, all of which puts enormous strain through the feet.
“Everything you do, you can’t get away from your tools of trade,” he said.
“Your body is different by the time you get back. And mentally it is hard because you spend so much time being unable to do anything, and you spend your time reading about it and learning. You get a pain and wonder if that is normal pain or bad pain? Is it something to worry about?
Loading
“You spend an extended period doing nothing and your whole leg disintegrates, and all those years of training and work you have put into your legs goes, and you have to build it up.
“You need to take as much time as you can. Don’t push it. It’s well publicised the navicular has very low blood supply, so that healing part of the process takes longer.”
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.
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