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Adam Davies: The Road to Recovery

Adam Davies: The Road to Recovery

Joe Sargent15 Apr 2022 - 09:14
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The Wingmakers striker talks about his road to recovery after suffering a serious injury two weeks ago.

The game was on a knife-edge at the Hollingsworth Group Stadium. With only 15 minutes left to play, Airbus needed a goal to clinch the JD Cymru North title.

It was goalless in the top of the table clash with Llandudno when Adam Davies dribbled forward from the middle of the pitch. But as soon as the 25-year-old hit the ground following a late tackle, a crucial encounter suddenly paled into insignificance.

After receiving urgent medical attention, Davies was stretchered off in a bad way – he broke his leg. Now the motivation was centred around finding a title deciding winner for the Bus’ top goalscorer this season.

Brady McGilloway stepped up to the plate from the bench. The substitute’s deflected finish in injury time ensured Steve O’Shaughnessy's side would be playing Cymru Premier football once again next term.

Celebrations carried on long after full time in the changing room, but there was a sense of mixed emotions throughout the squad. Everyone had the saddening situation with Davies at the forefront of their minds.

Two weeks on from the nightmare night for the forward, we’ve caught with him to see how he’s getting on.

What happened after your injury? (The treatment you received at the stadium and in hospital)

“Straight away both sets of medical teams were excellent to respond so quickly, stabilise the fracture with fracture packs and get me off the pitch.

“When I was in the treatment room [at the stadium], I was provided with pain relief via gas and air and transported to the Countess of Chester Hospital where I saw a specialist within 10 minutes of arriving.

“After some x-rays, it became apparent that I would need emergency surgery, which I underwent the next day.

“I was kept in the hospital until the Monday for observations but the consultant was happy with how the procedure went and everything was positive.

“I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone at the club who helped me on the night, everyone acted quickly, calmly and professionally.

“It wasn’t a nice experience for anyone at the ground and without your help it would have been a lot worse.”

What have you been up to so far in the early stages of your recovery?

“Following the operation, I am now partial weight bearing with crutches but still need to work hard to get the movement back at my knee and ankle.

“This stage of my recovery is all about trying to normalise my movement, reduce pain/swelling and limit strength loss in my right leg as much as possible.

“This week, I’ve been working on some stretches for the knee and ankle, some strength work at the gym for my upper body, core and uninjured leg… I’ve even managed to get on a spin bike with no resistance which is really positive.”

How much does being a physio yourself help with the recovery process?

“Being a full-time physio myself is a massive help. Although tib/fib fractures are relatively rare in football, I’ve dealt with a few patients before in similar situations which has helped me in my recovery.

“In the early stages of recovery, it’s all about finding a nice balance between exercising but also listening to my body, not pushing it too hard and giving my body plenty of rest and chance to recover.”

Have you suffered long-term injuries in the past and if so, does it help knowing you’ve returned from them as a better player?

“I’ve had previous fractures of my fibula and also my cheek bone when I was younger which were lengthy injuries, but I must admit, this is my first time undergoing surgery.

“As you get older you come to accept that injuries are part of the game. The worst thing you can do in these situations is think negatively, I know I’ll be back stronger from this like I have done with all injuries previously.”

How happy were you with your season before it was cruelly ended?

“I had a great season. Looking back, I can safely say it has been the best of my career so far. Breaking league goalscoring records and being the league’s top goalscorer were targets I wouldn’t have thought were possible at the start of the season.

“I’ve said throughout that the individual awards would have meant nothing without the league trophy which is why the victory over Llandudno was so special.

“It was a bittersweet feeling but even after the injury, I was so happy for everyone involved with the club, it was nothing less than what we deserved.”

Will you be at Friday’s match against Gresford for the trophy presentation?

“I will be there on Friday. I’m really looking forward to it and hope the lads can still continue to put in some good displays up until the end of the season now the league has already been won.”

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