The Irish Times' Johnny Watterson talks to Leicester fullback Geordan Murphy on his recovery from injury and his hopes for the future.
"Geordan Murphy is hoping that highly specialised treatment will have accelerated the healing of his ankle enough to allow him make a claim for a World Cup place with Ireland in September.
"The 32-year-old full-back was carried off on a stretcher near the end of Leicester’s win against Northampton at Welford Road at the start of January and underwent surgery to stabilise a dislocated ankle. The screws and pins that were inserted are to come out early next month.
"The treatment, hyperbaric therapy, is an emerging medical speciality that quickens the healing process by using oxygen under pressure. The procedure, which takes place in a chamber, increases blood and oxygen supply to the wounded areas and promotes the healing process. In 2004 Manchester United’s David Beckham used similar methods when he broke a bone in his foot. “We have a chamber in our training facility at Leicester,” said Murphy. “It’s like a diving chamber where they increase the pressure and you breathe pure oxygen. I was doing that treatment for a month or so, which I think was beneficial. The doctors were happy with the way it went and thought there was improvement. But I won’t know for certain until I get the iron ware out of my ankle. I’ll have another operation on April 12th for the metal work to be taken out.”
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