'No matter how many pain killers you take, it takes two to three weeks to heal in its own way.'
India middle order batter Shreyas Iyer, who was hospitalised and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of a Sydney hospital after an injury while attempting a catch during the third ODI against Australia, will take around 2-3 months to make a comeback to cricket.
Iyer sustained a serious injury to his spleen after landing awkwardly on his left side while taking a remarkable catch to dismiss Alex Carey. He looked in excruciating pain as he walked off the field with help of support staff.
He suffered a blunt injury to his abdomen, resulting in a laceration of his spleen with internal bleeding. The 31-year-old was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a Sydney hospital and was later discharged.
Dr Sarthak Patnaik, the founder of Sports Science India, explained that Iyer's left rib cage came in direct contact with the ground, resulting in the injury.
"In the video of the catch, you could see direct contact injury to the left rib cage as he landed on the ground. The left rib cage is the junction of the bone and cartilage. Just below that is the spleen," he told ANI.
The doctor stated that spleen injuries can be categorised into two types: minor and major, while adding that Iyer could be having "spleen trauma due to which there could be minimal contusion or bleeding".
"The minimal spleen injury results in slight internal bleeding due to which the patient has to take rest for three to six weeks and then they come back to the field. But when the spleen is badly injured, there is a lot of bleeding, then a surgical procedure is done in which the spleen has to be repaired or sometimes cut. So, in this condition, I think he has a spleen trauma due to which there is a minimal contusion or bleeding which they have kept under observation. Because of this, there is a lot of pain, sometimes there is intra-abdominal bleeding," he added.
Dr Sarthak also spoke on possibility of a rib injury, where the pain does not go away easily and there is movement when a person breathes, resulting in pain that lasts two three weeks.
"Those who have rib fracture or trauma, the pain lasts for two to three weeks. Like other injuries, we cannot give this part some rest. Every time we breathe in and breathe out, so that movement continues. And no matter how many pain killers you take, it takes two to three weeks to heal in its own way," he added.
Dr Sarthak also said he would take him time to recover from the injury and make a comeback to cricket.
"Coming back to sports, free from his pain and symptoms, it could take him two to three months."
The BCCI released an update on Saturday stating that Shreyas "will continue to stay in Sydney for follow-up consultations and will return to India once he is deemed fit to fly."
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