The interesting insight into Sam Burgess’ shoulder injuries

Drew Darbyshire 13 Nov 2019 12:42 PM

NRL physio Brien Seeney has given a detailed insight into the shoulder injuries that forced Sam Burgess into retirement.

The 30-year-old has hung up his boots due to a chronic shoulder condition that only became apparent earlier this year after routine surgery.

Burgess made 270 club appearances for Bradford and South Sydney Rabbitohs, as well as earning 26 caps for Great Britain and England.

Physiotherapist and injury analyst Brien Seeney has provided us with detailed insight into Burgess’ injuries which make for interesting reading…

A quick Sam Burgess shoulder injury thread:

2010:
– Left shoulder subluxation playing for England, undergoes reconstruction surgery
– Requires 3 months recovery pic.twitter.com/q9zAkoCkbe

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) October 29, 2019

2011:
– Re-injures left shoulder first game back (Rd1), scans show “damage in the back of shoulder where it was damaged before” but not as bad as first thought, avoids surgery & returns in 4 weeks
– Ankle injury then ends season, undergoes 2nd left shoulder reconstruction pic.twitter.com/xgOwGOHQbv

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) October 29, 2019

2019:
– Suffers new shoulder injury during “innocuous” tackle in Rd5, is able to play through til Rd13
– Then undergoes “clean out” surgical procedure (removal of loose bodies/scar tissue), also word he received stem cell injections pic.twitter.com/s6lg3fIbvQ

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) October 29, 2019

– Post-surgical infection is reported the week he is expected to return, requires antibiotics via PICC (IV) line & ruled out “indefinitely”
– Misses a further 2 weeks
– Final game of season appears to aggravate shoulder pain significantly during tackle below pic.twitter.com/TcjA1AJuVU

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) October 29, 2019

Infection
– Only happens in 1-2% of post surgical (arthroscopy) patients
– Some post-operative infections difficult to diagnose & treat
– Sometimes only symptoms are pain/stiffness, other signs of infection (eg fever) can be absent

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) October 29, 2019

– Infection can initiate inflammatory response within the joint & secrete chemicals designed to degrade body tissues
– Prolonged low grade infection can result in loss of function or progress to septic arthritis pic.twitter.com/GgkT1lPP4z

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) October 29, 2019

Burgess
– Not clear if Burgess’ infection stems from reconstruction surgeries 8 years ago or most recent surgery
– He reportedly only has 25% of bone (cartilage) left in part of his shoulder joint, struggles to lift arm above 90 degrees

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) October 29, 2019

– Arthritic joint changes more common than some would think in contact sport athletes
– Important to weigh up short/long term shoulder function, risk vs reward of playing on
(will shoulder allow him to perform at NRL level, risk of further damage, shoulder function post footy)

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) October 29, 2019

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