By Karen Lyon
March 13 2003
Richmond was dealt a massive blow last night, with key forward Brad Ottens sheduled for surgery to treat a serious back injury that threatens to ruin his season.
The Tigers are hopeful their 23-year-old ruckman-forward will return by round 11 of the season. Ottens was scheduled to have micro-surgery on a prolapsed disc at 8pm last night in the Epworth Hospital.
He had been suffering back soreness and numbness in his big toe for the past three weeks. After last Saturday's practice match against Carlton, Ottens complained of buttock soreness.
Last night, the All-Australian ruckman-forward said he decided on surgery to end the pain as quickly as possible.
"It's pretty bad; it's just a lapse of the disc," Ottens told Channel Ten. "The disc is rubbing against the nerves in my back so it is referring down to my legs and stuff. I guess it is something I need to knock on the head pretty quickly so it doesn't get any worse.
"There is pain sitting down but it's not too bad. But it is sort of getting a little bit worse and a little bit worse."
It has been a traumatic pre-season for Ottens. Last October, he was impaled on a garden stake, delaying the start of his pre-season. But his training had since gathered momentum.
"I'd put on a bit of weight and worked pretty hard and to have this happen is very disappointing," he said.
"But there's not a lot I can do about it now, so I guess I've just got to get the right treatment and concentrate on rehab and get back as soon as possible."
Ottens was due to play his 100th game in the opening round of the season in two weeks against Collingwood. Instead, he will be resting, with rehabilitation to start in mid-April.
In recent years, the injury has curtailed the career of Melbourne champion Garry Lyon, and the last captain of Fitzroy, Brad Boyd.
Melbourne midfielder Guy Rigoni is now on the comeback trail after missing 18 months with a similar complaint, while Carlton premiership defender Ang Christou missed two years because of a prolapsed disc.
Christou, a member of Carlton's 1995 premiership team, refused surgery in his battle with back pain, which started in 1996, in a bid to protect his body after football.
He was told at the time there were no guarantees that surgery would help his career.
"I looked at everything," Christou said last night. "I thought 'do I get better and not play football again?'
"If I was to have the surgery I (believed) I would have had limited football altogether.
"I just chose not to (have surgery) but with modern technology, I am pretty sure he could make it in 12 weeks. I hope it goes well for Brad," Christou said.
Lyon, whose career came to an end in 1999, had a laminectomy and discectomy on his back in a bid to ease the pain.
"It was a bulging disc they trimmed up," Lyon said. "They also took a bit of vertebra. I think in theory it is the same thing."
March 13 2003
Richmond was dealt a massive blow last night, with key forward Brad Ottens sheduled for surgery to treat a serious back injury that threatens to ruin his season.
The Tigers are hopeful their 23-year-old ruckman-forward will return by round 11 of the season. Ottens was scheduled to have micro-surgery on a prolapsed disc at 8pm last night in the Epworth Hospital.
He had been suffering back soreness and numbness in his big toe for the past three weeks. After last Saturday's practice match against Carlton, Ottens complained of buttock soreness.
Last night, the All-Australian ruckman-forward said he decided on surgery to end the pain as quickly as possible.
"It's pretty bad; it's just a lapse of the disc," Ottens told Channel Ten. "The disc is rubbing against the nerves in my back so it is referring down to my legs and stuff. I guess it is something I need to knock on the head pretty quickly so it doesn't get any worse.
"There is pain sitting down but it's not too bad. But it is sort of getting a little bit worse and a little bit worse."
It has been a traumatic pre-season for Ottens. Last October, he was impaled on a garden stake, delaying the start of his pre-season. But his training had since gathered momentum.
"I'd put on a bit of weight and worked pretty hard and to have this happen is very disappointing," he said.
"But there's not a lot I can do about it now, so I guess I've just got to get the right treatment and concentrate on rehab and get back as soon as possible."
Ottens was due to play his 100th game in the opening round of the season in two weeks against Collingwood. Instead, he will be resting, with rehabilitation to start in mid-April.
In recent years, the injury has curtailed the career of Melbourne champion Garry Lyon, and the last captain of Fitzroy, Brad Boyd.
Melbourne midfielder Guy Rigoni is now on the comeback trail after missing 18 months with a similar complaint, while Carlton premiership defender Ang Christou missed two years because of a prolapsed disc.
Christou, a member of Carlton's 1995 premiership team, refused surgery in his battle with back pain, which started in 1996, in a bid to protect his body after football.
He was told at the time there were no guarantees that surgery would help his career.
"I looked at everything," Christou said last night. "I thought 'do I get better and not play football again?'
"If I was to have the surgery I (believed) I would have had limited football altogether.
"I just chose not to (have surgery) but with modern technology, I am pretty sure he could make it in 12 weeks. I hope it goes well for Brad," Christou said.
Lyon, whose career came to an end in 1999, had a laminectomy and discectomy on his back in a bid to ease the pain.
"It was a bulging disc they trimmed up," Lyon said. "They also took a bit of vertebra. I think in theory it is the same thing."
