Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has spoken about how the cruciate knee ligament injury he suffered on the opening day of the 2013/14 season left him with years of knock-on aches, pains and strains.
The 22 year old missed a large chunk of last season too with a groin injury that he says was a consequence of the knee injury sustained against Aston Villa, and that the problems have hampered his development as a player.
Speaking ahead of England’s European Qualifier against San Marino tonight, the Ox said, “It was a knock-on effect from the cruciate injury that I had from the first day of the season a couple of years ago when we lost to Villa.
“I’d never been out, not playing or running around, for that long with my knee in a brace. Your balance can shift when that happens and you start loading more on one side than the other, and that’s when the muscle problems creep in.
“It ended up in my groin from the compensation and I struggled with that for a large part of last season. I didn’t know what was wrong but just felt the pain in my groin. Nothing was showing on the scans and it was just the strength from the groin and abdominal region. When I’d try to get up from the bed, or from sitting on the sofa, I was in so much pain.
“I couldn’t get round it in my head that I was struggling with the simplest of tasks but was still playing games. Playing wasn’t making it any worse, but it wasn’t improving either.
Now, however, things are better, although he’s not quite sure why.
“Towards the end of the season, something turned the screw,” he said. “I don’t know what. All of a sudden it went away as if nothing had happened, which always seems to be the case after a long injury.
“The fact is the injury changed my body slightly, and the way my muscles and body react to playing as many games as we do. But, so far this season, I’ve felt good. It’s been a while since I felt pain-free like that.
“It’s a big burden off me that I can play with that freedom and I’m not playing in pain.”
After the news of Danny Welbeck’s injury, we do need the players we have to step up and Oxlade-Chamberlain is one of those for whom many people have high hopes.
Let’s hope he can really kick on now.
The Ox is due a huge season. This boy will make full-backs think twice before bombing forward.
I wish you an injury-free season.
not going to start when all 3 of ramsey, santi and ozil is fit
Those 3 can’t play every game even if they are fit. Ox will have his fair share. We have 4 competitions and the state of the squad means playing certain players till they can barely walk will not be a wise move so expect to see the Ox here and there – even from the bench like against Liverpool.
hmmm i get your point, but i think we’ve seen wenger show restraint with his playing time this season primarily because he wants to make sure he’s 100%. I think i a few more weeks we’ll see him start. wide right is such an attacking position for arsenal, and he is more unpredictable and exciting than ramsey in terms of getting forward. ramseys positioning and movement maybe better, but the ox is young and has missed a lot of game time. i think we’ll see more of him as he proves he is ready for the physical challenge.
Imagine what Diaby must have gone through
a world of pain
Having had an Acl injury and had to sit out for 9-12 months I can relate to the mental pain you go through with such a long lay off. Honestly the physical pain is intense but it fades so quickly compared to the pain that is to come. And I can also attest to the muscle injuries that follow major surgery. It takes a couple of years to be confident enough to throw your weight onto that leg again. And that whole time you end up buggering your “good leg” because you’re scared. I wish him the best of luck… Read more »
Sorry boy
I’m sure Danny Wellbeck’s loving reading this whilst he eats his cornflakes this morning.
Well it’s not giving me any warm fuzzy feelings inside. If Welbeck has similar problems we might not see the best of him for maybe three years. I hope our new medicos can find a way to keep him from going through all the pain and follow-up injuries.
Goes to show there’s alot going on behind the scene before the player actually pulls on his red/whites and trudges onto the pitch….Now picture Diaby through the years.
I am not even gonna add something +ve.
I have some personal experience with bio-mechanical problems. Like what Ox stated, it can get scary since doctors can’t really tell you what’s wrong even after x-rays and MRIs. And yes, it can get very painful. I was afraid my issues are going south and was starting to worry with a young family and all.
Eventually a combination of chiropractic care, specific gym exercises and running on a Vibram got me back on the recovery track.
I am surprised so few players practice yoga. I know Ramsey and Giggs are big practitioners. You think of Ramseys injury and his recovery is quite remarkable. It’s a a huge help to balancing body mechanics. I would make it compulsory.
even sagna used to follow.. and his recovery was also remarkable..
Is Arsene going to try and use Sanchez and Ox as the central striker this season? Maybe Ox will become the ultimate utility player, he certainly has the physical and technical attributes and his finishing is improving.
the new Bale?
Think less ape-like…
More ninja-turtle like.
I don’t think we’ll ever see him at striker. He’s best running at opposition at pace from deeper positions, not pushing behind the lines. it would be interesting to see him occasionally surprise the opposition with a run in behind from the wing to change it up though!
l remember people slating Wenger and Shad for not handling The Ox well… there you heard it from the lad, the scans revealed NOTHING! Just goes to show its not always as straightforward as we assume
Ask a question and get thumbed down? If you don’t think that would work isn’t it more sensible to reply with your opinion than just showing disapproval with the post? I wouldn’t mind seeing Sanchez getting a game or two to see how he handles it, but I’m not so sure about Ox as I don’t think I ever saw him playing with his back towards goal. It’s difficult to think of a fixture where it would be good to try him out up front though. Every fixture is so important nowadays that I’d be inclined to go with what… Read more »
I hope he doesn’t get any injuries. It’s rare to get Raw Power +Speed +Agility in the same human being. Comparisons with Bale are not far fetched IMO. The Community Shield performance is a pointer of his future. COYG!
Glad to hear that he’s now fit, but I’m becoming more pessimistic about his long-term prospects. His strength is putting his head down and running at defenders, but he remains a liability in almost every other facet of the game. His first touch and passing are average at best, which results in him giving the ball away a lot more than he should. He gets into good positions with the ball but doesn’t seem to see the right pass. He still tends to make bad decisions with the ball in our own half that put us under pressure. You can’t… Read more »
Kind of worrying that it just went away. I would have though this is something the medical staff would address in his recovery.
Well, remember that this is solely his perception of it. The PT and strength training regime they have him on might have been designed to do just that, and he suddenly started to realize it’s working and stopped ‘looking for’ the pains. Hopefully this means he can now trust his body and not overtax some muscles by favoring others.
Like Le Coq came out of nowhere to be an important cog in the winning run at the beginning of the calender yr, hope Ox goes from a potential to game changer by the end of the season.
Love the player. His potential is just banging on the door… That’s what wenger said about JET…
The ox,I get excited when he’s about to receive the ball. Hoping he takes the world by storm. Genuine superstar in the making
I think I know what shifted. A few years ago I shattered my heel bone and had metal plates and screws permanently attached. It took around 6 months to walk without the boot and I too had groin pains, tendonitis in the back of my calf, and all sorts of difficulties with my ankle and knee. My foot would regularly throb too. Earlier this year I had a shamanic healing treatment and they said there was an energetic ‘cage’ around my leg and foot, which I’d put there with my thoughts. Since they drained off the energy and reinstated my… Read more »