A YEAR ago a freak footballing injury almost cost Andrew Almond his life.

The 23-year-old from Southend took a kick to his left leg while playing as a striker during an amateur match.

But what Andrew thought was just a a painful knock turned out to be acute compartment syndrome - a potentially life-threatening condition.

Andrew is still living with the after-effects and may still lose his left leg, but now his family wants other sports people to be aware of the dangers of the little-known syndrome and to appeal for specialist medical advice.

"If we can stop one person going through what Andrew went through then it would be worth it," said his mum Julie Barker.

"The problem is that it is so rare and we were told in the hospital that it was a one in a million chance.

"But it is such a serious condition that if anyone gets a knock and gets needle-sharp pain but can still move their leg then they should get it checked out."

Andrew was playing for a Rayleigh football team when he was kicked on the leg as he jumped up for the ball.

He limped through the remaining minutes of the match but was is permanent pain, although there was no visible signs on injury.

Andrew was driven home and went to bed for a rest before going to work in the evening. He woke up after six hours asleep and could not move his now swollen leg.

"The pain was severe and I couldn't get up," he said. "Just touching it was painful."

He was taken to Southend Hospital by ambulance and diagnosed with acute compartment syndrome, "Ten minutes after signing the consent forms for the operation I was in surgery," Andrew added. "I didn't want the operation but they said if they didn't do it I would die.

"They told me I would wake up and have what I now have got, no leg or I won't come out of it."

Surgeons had to remove part of the muscle in Andrew's left thigh because it was dead and a blood clot in his lower leg had leaked protein into the muscle.

The former Cecil Jones pupil spent a month in hospital and has been rehabilitating for the last year.

"They warned Andrew that he wouldn't walk again but he is walking again, although he has to think about every step he takes and look for things to hold on to," added Julie.

"It is soul destroying because he has not got independence because he has to rely on other people. He has gone from being happy-go-lucky to thinking about every move he makes."

Andrew, who was also a keen athlete before the accident, is now looking for a job but despite the progress he has made still faces having his leg amputated.

"I have been told that they might still have to remove the leg because of the damage done," added Andrew.

"I don't want that to happen and we have spoken about it but I don't want it to happen if I can help it."

Julie added: "If there is a specialist out there who can help him professionally that would be great.

"The problem is it is so rare that not many people know about it. The hospital said they had to follow the textbook because they had not encountered it before.

"We have spoken to Southend United physio Ben Clarkson about compartment syndrome but he said he had only treated small areas before."

If anyone can help, please get in touch with Paul Alton via email at paul.alton@nqe.com.

FACTFILE

  • Compartment syndrome is a painful and potentially serious condition caused by bleeding or swelling within an enclosed bundle of muscles (a muscle compartment).
  • There are two types: acute compartment syndrome, which happens suddenly after an injury, and chronic compartment syndrome, which comes on gradually.
  • Acute compartment syndrome is a medical emergency because the high pressure in the compartment can lead to permanent muscle and nerve damage. It usually happens after a fracture or crash injury bit can also be caused by severe bruising of a muscle.
  • Chronic compartment syndrome causes cramping pain during exercise, mostly in the leg, and eases when the activity stops. It is much less serious than the acute condition.