I looked at my husband and said: ‘I can’t move’
She was one of the world’s fittest tennis stars. Then overnight Caroline Wozniacki was left bedbound by crippling arthritis...
Tennis superstar Caroline Wozniacki was long considered one of the fittest players in tennis: a Grand slam winner, at her peak she spent 67 weeks ranked world number one.
But just after playing at Wimbledon in June 2018, the Danish athlete noticed a dip in her energy levels and twinges in her joints.
initially, she thought she was pushing herself too hard. But months later, the morning after losing a three-hour match in Montreal, she was lying in her hotel bed with her husband, former professional basketball player David Lee, 37, when suddenly she felt far worse.
‘i looked over at David and said: “i can’t move,”’ Caroline, 30, told Good Health. ‘He said: “What do you mean you can’t move — you’re sore from the match?”
‘i said: “This is different. i can’t move my arms and i don’t know how i’m going to brush my hair or brush my teeth.”
‘My body was so sore. it felt as though my shoulders were out of their sockets. it was so painful and i was so exhausted. i remember going through the airport the next day and holding my arms stiff in one position because i was in so much pain.’
Only seven months after she had won a Grand slam tournament in January 2018, Caroline was in such pain she struggled to move at all and experienced fatigue so intense that even lifting her head from her pillow was difficult.
‘One day you’re a professional athlete at the top of your game, and the next day you cannot get out of bed and can’t move your arms or do anything,’ says Caroline, who lives between homes in Monaco and Miami.
‘You get nervous and you think of the worst. All things go through your head. is it cancer? Am i dying? it was terrifying.’
The pain in her shoulders and joints made everyday activities, even buttoning clothes, difficult. ‘it was only when i broke down in front of friends and family that everyone realised how serious it was. i never cry, but the pain and not knowing what was going on was overwhelming.’
Caroline saw numerous doctors over a two-month period before seeing a consultant in new York, who spotted the problem.
‘i said: “Just do every test you can,”’ she says. ‘i was desperate to know what i was dealing with so i could fight back.’
Six days later, he rang with the results. ‘He said: “i have good news and bad news,” ’ says Caroline. ‘The good news was that i was not dying; the bad was that i had an autoimmune disease.
‘He explained that it was probably rheumatoid arthritis and how it could be attacking my joints.’
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory condition that affects around 400,000 people in the UK. Whereas osteoarthritis is the result of mechanical wear and tear, RA occurs when the body’s immune system attacks the cells lining the joints, causing pain and swelling. This, in turn, can lead to bouts of fatigue.
in 40 per cent of cases, the condition affects other parts of the body — not just the joints — causing inflammation in the blood vessels, the lungs and heart as well as the eyes.
Why the condition occurs is still unclear — research is ongoing into genetic and environmental links.
As RA is three times more common in women — and charities are reporting a rise in cases among young women aged 18 to 35 — it’s thought that hormones may play a role, but the mechanisms are not yet fully understood.
early treatment is vital because it can prevent long-term damage to the joints, which can ultimately be disabling.
Treatments include steroids and methotrexate, an inexpensive drug that dampens the immune system response in around 30 per cent of cases. Other patients will need disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) or new biologics, for example, which target parts of the immune system that trigger inflammation.
But first must come a diagnosis (which usually relies on a doctor taking a medical history and sometimes a blood test to check for antibodies, though it’s not always conclusive). Getting a diagnosis can often be difficult — partly because patients may not seek prompt help, but also because the general nature of symptoms, such as aches and tiredness, can make it harder for doctors to pinpoint a cause. When Caroline first sought help in 2018, she was initially told she could be out of shape, and that the illness could be influenced by ‘poor mental health’. it took two months and multiple visits to consultants to get the RA diagnosis — but the majority of patients wait a year before being seen by a consultant, according to an audit by the British society for Rheumatology.
‘We do have an issue with people being taken seriously when they first present to a doctor, particularly if they are young, fit and healthy,’ says Clare Jacklin, chief executive of the national
Rheumatoid Arthritis society. ‘They are often, for example, dismissed as having repetitive strain injury if the problem is in their wrists and fingers.
‘it is difficult for GPs to pick up on the red flags, but they are getting better and we are seeing people being diagnosed quicker.
‘The good news is that there are a lot of effective treatments now. We have come a long way from the times when the diagnosis came with a warning that the patient might end up in a wheelchair, and women were told not to get pregnant and to come to terms with not having children because of medication complications.’
Yet still patients often have to deteriorate before the cause of their aches, pains and fatigue is taken seriously.
After Caroline was diagnosed, she saw a rheumatologist in new York, who prescribed medication to reduce the inflammation.
Within months she had returned to professional tennis, making the semi-final of the China Open in september 2019.
she retired — ranked 37th in the world — after playing her final Grand slam at the Australian Open in January this year.
Caroline’s experience has prompted her to work with a pharmaceutical company to launch Advantage Hers, an online support website for young women affected by RA.
‘i thought: “if i’m struggling for a diagnosis, what must it be like for other people?” ’ adds Caroline. ‘i’ve since found out a lot of people wait years for a diagnosis because they and their doctors don’t recognise their symptoms.
‘i want to raise awareness about the confusion so that people don’t have to wait to get the right treatment, as it can be a scary time.
‘i was privileged that i could reach the best consultants and get a diagnosis and treatment plan quickly.’
For Caroline, the diagnosis has been life-changing. ‘it is pretty shattering, and you feel that possibly the last thing you can do is be positive about it,’ she says.
But she hopes speaking out about her experiences and showing how it is possible to lead a normal life will encourage others.
‘When you are battling rheumatoid arthritis, your body sometimes will not have the best day,’ she says. ‘i want to inspire women to live their lives, go for their dreams and have a healthy life. The greatest result will be everyone helping each other to achieve that.’
■ ADVANTAGE Hers, in partnership with UCB, launches tomorrow. visit advantagehers.com