As the world turns its attention to Brazil for the FIFA World Cup, it seems football is on the collective minds of the entire planet. Streamed live in 204 countries, the FIFA World Cup is the world’s most widely viewed sporting event with an estimated 715.1 million viewers tuning in across the month long sporting extravaganza. Mercifully there have been few major injuries this World Cup, but history is littered with ghastly physical afflictions on the football pitch.There are countless times when a replay of the footage is enough to make your stomach turn and your insides cringe. The times where you know instantly that the only way that player is coming off the field is on a stretcher.Thankfully these players have access to some of the best medical treatment available and in many cases are able to make full recoveries without the burden of medical costs, but in the real world sport injuries can be quite a different story. In no particular order (that would be far too macabre), we present six of the worst injuries to occur on the football field and an estimate of what the surgical costs could potentially be for those of us that don’t happen to be football superstars. Caution: Footage is of a graphic nature. Viewer discretion is advised.
6. David Busst
When Coventry City made the journey to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United in 1996, David Busst had no idea what was to befall him in just the second minute of the game. In an instant Busst’s football career was ended as he was sandwiched between the tackles of two Manchester United players, twisting his leg to face almost the opposite side of his body. It resulted in extensive compound fractures to both the tibia and fibula of his right leg, ripping through his socks and exploding in a shower of blood. The injury required 22 operations including insertion of metal rods and a plastic surgeon who needed to “rebuild (the) leg to cover the hole where the bone had come out.” One physician even suggested that if the injury had happened 20 years earlier, it would have required amputation. After six months the leg was able to carry his weight, which preceded another six months of rehabilitation and physiotherapy — but his playing days were over. Major surgery on compound fractures can cost upwards of US$35,000 and with so many surgeries required, it’s conceivable that this injury could have cost upwards of US$500,000. Luckily, Busst’s career before football was selling insurance, so you can be sure he had his health insurance needs protected with a comprehensive policy.
5. Patrick Battiston
Battison represented France across three World Cups, but it’s the 1982 World Cup semi-final between France and West Germany for which he is most remembered. After clearing the German defence, Battiston was racing towards the goal when German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher burst forward, leaping into the air and twisting his body to impact with his hip into the Frenchman’s face. The impact knocked Battiston to the ground, rendering him unconscious, damaging his vertebrae, knocking three teeth out and breaking his jaw. Whilst Schumacher escaped without any form of reprimand, the incident would leave Battiston sidelined for five months whilst he recovered from his injuries. The costs of concussions can be quite substantial, especially when there are complications like swelling of the brain or hemorrhaging. An Australian medical journal released a paper indicating the average cost of concussion treatment is around $3,700, but once you factor in the dental work and rehabilitation of the spinal damage that Battiston required, the costs could easily have skyrocketed up to $10,000 or more. http://youtu.be/tGq7VcaHoqo
4. Eduardo Da Silva
When Sky Sports decide not to telecast replays of an injury because it’s too graphic, then you know something has gone terribly wrong. Such was the case for Brazilian born Croatian Eduardo Da DaSilva when he was taken down by a clumsy tackle by Birmingham defender Martin Taylor in 2008. The Arsenal striker was collided with at his shin, which snapped the fibula and dislocated the left ankle, leaving the bone sticking out of his leg. He was out of commission from his team for almost a full year and upon his return, struggled to find the same form until eventually being traded to Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk. An injury such as Eduardo’s – in which there is a compound fracture – is significantly more complicated than a simple fracture as there is often trauma to the surrounding soft tissues including muscle, blood vessels and ligaments. The bone needs to be reset and there is more danger of infection. Surgery in the United States routinely costs in excess of $23,000 for ankle and leg fracture surgery, and that’s assuming the injury only requires a single operation. In many instances there is a need for additional treatment, and with an injury as complex as Eduardo’s it is very unlikely that the injury would be resolved after just one hospitalization. Further increasing the cost is any need to repair ligaments or tendons, which can add thousands to the cost.
3. Djibril Cisse
Djibril Cisse holds the dubious honor of being one of only a handful of players to have broken both legs throughout his career. It was a challenge by Blackburn Rovers’ Jay McEverly that resulted in Cisse’s tibia and fibula being broken in October 2004. His left boot was caught in the turf and he crumbled as his body tried to put weight on a severely broken left leg. The second break happened less than two years later in a friendly against China where a tackle caused Cisse to twist whilst falling awkwardly, resulting in an open fracture of his tibia, ruling him out of a place in France’s 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. The two breaks suffered by Cisse are both on the more severe spectrum of leg breaks (since both bones were broken) but the second break, being a compound fracture, is the more expensive of the two to fix. As with any surgery, once bone has broken through the skin it is a more complicated procedure. Medical practitioners in the United States vary greatly in their pricing, but patients have had to pay up to $57,000 for surgery for a similarly broken leg. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cF4-rI_LjU
2. Luc Nilis
Belgian superstar Luc Nilis was one of the most prolific strikers in Europe during his prime but had his career prematurely ended after suffering an injury in 2000. Nilis’s Aston Villa were taking on Ipswich Town but a collision with Ipswich goalkeeper Richard Wright left the Dutch striker with a badly broken leg and a double compound fracture in his tibia and fibula. The gut churning break had significant complications, and doctors even told the Belgian that there was a legitimate chance he could need to amputate a portion of his leg. Thankfully this wasn’t the case, but it did spell the end of Nilis’s career. Like Busst’s injury, the cost of a surgery such as this would have easily been upwards of $35,000 in the United States, but since there was a double compound fracture, the cost is likely to have been far higher.
1. Gary Mabbutt
With over 750 appearances, Gary Mabutt was a true veteran of the game, winning 16 caps for the England national team. In 1993 Mabutt, the then Captain of Tottenham Hotspurs, was met by a flying elbow from Wimbledon hardman John Fashanu in an aerial challenge. Whilst the injury was first thought to be an injury to his cheek, X-rays revealed that it was in fact a fractured skull. His eye socket had been “smashed in three places (and) my cheekbone was smashed in four places.” In fact, the damage done was so significant that Mabbutt was told by doctors that he’d come within millimetres of losing sight in his right eye. The nerves along the right side of his face were damaged and steel plates were installed in his face to retain its structure. Facial reconstructive surgery is one of the most complex forms of surgery, as the results are so public. In cases where there is nerve damage it is even more important that the procedure is carried out by an experienced surgeon, as there can be implications for sensation in the future. Getting accurate information on the cost of this type of surgery is complex as there are so many factors involved, but patients have reported paying up to $54,000 in some cases. The prices vary greatly depending on where the operation is performed and the severity of the case, but on average patients were out of pocket $8,175 for facial reconstructive surgery.
Be Sociable, Share!
