Richie Power had his first knee surgery at 16.
14 years later and with five more operations on his troublesome left knee, the 30-year-old is worried that he may not be able to run ever again.
The Carrickshock club man quit inter-county hurling in January, but it was not his own choice.
After undergoing a sixth surgery on his knee in October, Power was urged to quit hurling for the benefit of his long-term health.
Just weeks earlier, he had helped Kilkenny to yet another All-Ireland title, playing the last 12 minutes against Galway, having missed the entire season due to injury.
The fact that he had come through three knee surgeries in 10 months to play in Croke Park made the chat with surgeon Tadhg O’Sullivan all the more difficult.
“To be honest about it, there were tears in the room. After the operation, the surgeon came in and he dropped it into the conversation – ‘your playing days are more than likely over’. I sat there for a few minutes thinking ‘did he actually say that?’ There was anger; there was disbelief driving back up the road.”
Power asked Kilkenny team doctor Tadhg Crowley to speak to the renowned surgeon, to explain why. It was a sobering conversation.
“He rang me back late that Tuesday night and more or less told me: ‘Look, it is the right call,’ and that if I continue training at the top level for maybe the next year or two, the likelihood is the knee would just break. So you’re looking at a knee replacement at 32 years of age, no-one wants to face into that.
“The likelihood is I might never run again, and that’s hard to take. I suppose I’m kind of clutching at straws to get back to the club, and that’s very frustrating as well.
“I’m spending every night in the gym on my own, the lads are out in the field, and they’re going through the pre-season slog. It is what it is and it’s obviously frustrating.
“Anger does creep in a lot of the time, but you just have to swallow it and move on.”
Power first underwent knee surgery while still a student at St. Kieran’s College. The keyhole operation removed troublesome cartilage in his knee, but now, at the age of 30, there is nothing left.
His only exercise now is in the gym with his club, and a key part of his recovery has been cycling. The former All-Star is an ambassador for the 2016 An Post Cycle Series and he will cycle 10km of the Sligo event.
He has no bitterness for the way his county career ended, but admits he does have regret about his knee, and its care, over the last few years.
“No. I don’t feel bitter. Regrets, definitely. To put my body through what I did last year to get 12 minutes of an All-Ireland final, it’s probably a regret. Fair enough, walking off the field I didn’t think it was going to be my last time in Croke Park, but it turned out that way. If I had taken 12 months off, who knows – it might be better than it is now, but we’ll never know.”
The challenges for Power have not all been related to his knee injury. The 30-year-old is still trying to get to grips with life as an ex-Kilkenny hurler. He explains that the opening game of the league against Waterford was a surreal experience as a spectator, rather than a player.
“It’s definitely been difficult. I went down to the first game against Waterford there. I brought Rory with me. Standing on the bank was just a weird feeling.
“It was more surreal… I’d done it in previous years but always known that I’d be back involved later in the year.
“This year, it just sank in that this is the way it’s going to be. That’s the way things go.”
For now, his recovery is on getting fit again and giving himself the best possible chance of playing. After so much damage, there is nothing left to risk, and almost nothing to lose.
“If I can build up the leg enough and maybe get a kind of support to take the pressure of the impact off the knee, I’ll be able to go back and probably play games.
“I don’t think I can do any more damage, to be fair.
“The only damage I could do is the two bones grinding off each other, if they grind enough away, you’re going down the route of a knee replacement.
“I don’t think I want to do that.”
The FootballJOE quiz: Were you paying attention? – episode 10
