Du Toit escapes leg amputation
World Rugby Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit came close to having a leg amputated after a freak Super Rugby injury, medical staff at his Cape Town franchise told AFP on Tuesday.
The Rugby World Cupwinning Springbok and Stormers loose forward limped off with what initially seemed like a minor leg knock in a match against the Blues in February. But it soon turned into a medical emergency, a Stormers’ medical staff member told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“Pieter-Steph suffered a haematoma, which is a solid swelling of clotted blood within the tissue and is a very rare occurrence,” he said. “It quickly transformed into acute compartment syndrome, a condition that occurs when pressure within the muscles soars to dangerous levels.
WITHOUT HIS TIMELY INTERVENTION, I THINK PIETER-STEPH COULD HAVE LOST HIS LEG
John Dobson
“This pressure may decrease blood flow, preventing nourishment and oxygen from reaching nerve and muscle cells. If the medical staff do not quickly realise the seriousness of the injury, the patient loses blood supply to the leg and it may have to be amputated.”
Du Toit was rushed to hospital, had an operation the same day, and is expected to play again in about three months.
An SA radio station quoted Stormers coach John Dobson as hailing club doctor Jason Suter for his swift action. “The doctor deserves huge credit for his quick and accurate assessment of the injury sustained by PieterSteph,”
he said. “Without his timely intervention, I think Pieter-Steph could have lost his leg — almost half the reported cases of acute compartment syndrome have resulted in amputations.”
An injury curse has struck the Stormers this season with Du Toit joining fellow Springboks Herschel Jantjies, Steven Kitshoff, Bongi Mbonambi and Siya Kolisi on the casualty list.
Loose forward Kolisi (knee) and hooker Mbonambi (hamstring) were sidelined during the opening-round triumph over the Hurricanes. Scrumhalf Jantjies fractured a leg between the knee and ankle and prop Kitshoff tore a rib muscle during a loss to the Sharks last Saturday.
Super Rugby, which involves clubs from Argentina, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and SA, was suspended after round seven last weekend because of the coronavirus pandemic. Andy Marinos, the CEO of the competition’s organisers, Sanzaar, has said that if matches cannot resume within five weeks, the season could be cancelled.
A possible solution will be for Australia (including the Japanese Sunwolves), New Zealand and SA (including the Argentinian Jaguares) to stage local derbies. /
The French Open was one of many major sporting events to be postponed or cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday.
Uefa has postponed the European Championship, due to take place across the continent in June and July, until 2021 after holding crisis meetings on Tuesday, European football’s governing body announced.
“The move will help all domestic competitions, currently on hold due to the Covid19 emergency, to be completed,” Uefa said in a statement.
The Africa Cup of Nations Championship, scheduled for April in Cameroon, has been postponed indefinitely.
This summer’s Copa America in Argentina and Colombia was postponed on Tuesday by a year to 2021, organisers CONMEBOL said. The Copa, South America’s main men’s continental competition, was scheduled to run from June 11 to July 11.
The French Open has been postponed until September 20 to October 4 amid the coronavirus outbreak.. It was initially scheduled to be played from May 24 to June 7.
“In order to guarantee the health and safety of all those involved in the preparation of the tournament, the French Tennis Federation decided to organise the 2020 edition of Roland-Garros from 20 September to 4 October 2020,” the French tennis federation said in a statement.
“While no-one today can predict what the health situation will be like on May 18 [when qualifications were due to start], the lockdown measures in force make it impossible to prepare for it and therefore to organise it on the dates initially planned.” /Reuters, AFP