Murray's Back Injury

From The Times

Andy Murray’s year of historic achievement may well end next week when the back that has carried British tennis for years is investigated for the extent of its wear and tear.

The Wimbledon champion announced last night that he will undergo a minor exploratory procedure after months spent ministering to it through his many life-changing triumphs and occasional setbacks.

Whether or not he will be fit to compete in the eight-man Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at the 02 arena from November 4 to 11 — where he would be celebrated like never before — will be determined at a London hospital.

As of yesterday, his prospects of making a special date were described as “touch and go”.

On his return from Davis Cup duty in Croatia on Monday, Murray went to see Mark Bender, the specialist who has been overseeing his back in recent weeks, and it was agreed that the 26-year-old world No 3 should have minor surgery to clear up the problem “once and for all”.

There were questions raised before, during and after his matches in Umag as he consistently gripped the small of his back when he missed any routine shot.

Murray’s aim is to be restored to full fitness in time for the Australian Open in January, which requires that he can spend his usual three weeks of intensive preparation in Miami which concludes just before Christmas.

From The Guardian

The nature of Murray's injury remains a minor mystery. He has refused in the past to confirm if it is disc-related, and, if it were, he might have to contemplate an extended absence from the game, much the same as Rafael Nadal did when he took seven months out to ease the long-term pain in his knees.

It is thought Nadal's spectacular comeback, which he crowned with victory in the US Open final over Djokovic, convinced Murray to opt for a more drastic solution to his problem. There is no guarantee of surgical success with such an injury but Murray was tiring of the constant reliance on pain killers to get through tough matches.

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/sep/19/andy-murray-surgery-back

From The Telegraph

After 18 months of putting up with the daily discomfort caused by nerve pain in his back, Murray has decided to step off the treadmill and have “minor surgery”.

His camp insisted on Thursday night that this was a routine procedure, but no sportsman likes to undergo a back operation until they have exhausted all other options.

Spinal nerves are not tampered with lightly, and even if the treatment goes well, there is no guarantee that the problem will not recur.

While details are not available, it is understood that Murray will be undergoing a microdiscectomy to release the pressure on his sciatic nerve.

This is the same thing that footballer John Terry went through in 2006, and made a recovery within eight weeks.

What is a discectomy?

It is the removal of herniated disc material that presses on a nerve root or the spinal cord, and is an operation that is usually more effective at treating leg pain than back pain.

It involves keyhole surgery via a one-inch incision in the midline of the lower back, with the procedure itself performed with an instrument or laser while the surgeon looks through an operating microscope or magnifying glasses.

The nerve can take weeks or months to heal. However, patients usually feel relief from leg pain almost immediately.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/andymurray/10321841/Andy-Murray-unlikely-to-play-again-this-season-after-deciding-to-have-minor-back-surgery.html

Whilst I'd be disappointed to see him miss out on World Tour Finals this is the right decision and a good time to do it. Here's hoping we won't have to watch him grimacing and gurning in any more matches.

Lot of different guesses around about what the back problem actually is. Which probably means nobody knows. Could be really minor, could be a bit more serious than he's letting on.

We'll probably only really know how he's doing when he's due to start his Miami training sessions. I'm gutted I won't see him at the WTF though.

Thanks for this HE

I think it can only be a positive. Even if it only gives him a pain free existence for half of the tour, then it's an improvement

I wonder if Ginny Wade, stands by her comments of last year  

Surgery is a pro athletes worst nightmare. Andy is taking a big step here. I would imagine Rafa's 2013 played a big role in him deciding that time off is exactly what he was to do. Hope the procedure goes well, apparently its only minor, but when ths back is involved, it must be at least a little serious if he took this step.

but but but... I thought it was only a "minor hip problem at most"? That's what we were told as Murray fans by certain posters on here during the Granollers match...

Anyway, on the whole, since he's having surgery it hopefully means the problem has been identified properly and can be fixed, which is good news. I'm also of the view that with the current climate players desperately need breaks at some point, one only has to see the benficial effect Rafa has got from his.

Yes it's a shame Murray won't be around for the rest of the season, but if it means he comes out fully fit and firing next year then it's a good thing in the long term...

Mad for Chelsea wrote:but but but... I thought it was only a "minor hip problem at most"? That's what we were told as Murray fans by certain posters on here during the Granollers match...

It's all a big wheeze. I've heard that Ginny thinks that Andy is taking his play acting a bit too far