Leg up for Ex-Swedish Footballer
Express News Service
First Published : 15 Nov 2008 06:46:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 15 Nov 2008 09:58:53 AM IST
CHENNAI: Benny Axelsson started playing for the national Swedish soccer team at the age of 18. After a career that spanned more than a decade and saw Axelsson play against various European countries, his last few years have been far from a fairy tale.
Axelsson had severely damaged his left hip joint, through what doctors believe may be as a result of over use. “He developed osteo-arthritis, a condition generally seen in people over the age of 70. But sometimes, athletes and professional players develop it a few decades earlier, due to over use of the joint,’’ said Dr Vijay C Bose, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Apollo Hospital.
Axelsson’s hip joint was so badly damaged that it could not move even an inch, leaving the former athlete with a limp and dependent on painkillers for the excruciating pain that assailed him every time he worked out. “I couldn’t even get into the backseat of a car,’’ Axelsson said.
HIP HIP HOORAY: Former Swedish national football player, Benny Axelsson (R), with Dr Vijay Bose, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Apollo Hospitals
“My left leg was shorter than my right by a an inch or so and after every gym training session, I would be in intense pain,’’ the former soccer player said.
Hospitalised numerous times for his joint problem, Axelsson soon got tired of doctors x-raying his joint and then declaring that he needed to wait a few more years for a hip replacement.
The 53-year-old, who was an avid skier and cyclist, desperately needed a way to pursue what he loved sans the pain. “One day, while browsing the Internet, I came across a surgical procedure called hip resurfacing.