I noticed some people on The Mag comments section following the defeat at Manchester City, alleging that Anthony Gordon had feigned injury in order to get off the pitch.
Quite why any professional footballer, never mind a whole-hearted ultra competitive spirit like Anthony Gordon, would do such a thing, is frankly beyond me.
However, I have been reminded recently that I am on record as stating that the Swedish rat, formerly known as Alexander Isak, was not going to jump ship!
I think this situation is different, though.
Not having trawled through Google’s medical archives for quite some time, I quickly donned my white coat and mask and set off to investigate the issue of hamstring injuries.
The first thing I discovered is that each hamstring is actually composed of a group of three muscles located at the back of the thigh, namely the semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and biceps femoris. They are connected to the pelvis and lower leg by tendons. This means that you can flex the knee and extend the hip to perform movement such as walking, running and climbing stairs.
All of the sources I looked at confirmed my initial assumption (based on watching matches and wincing in sympathy at fairly regular intervals) that hamstring injuries are the most common sports injury.
As we all know, footballers warm up extensively before a game and this will include a whole series of stretches designed precisely to avoid soft tissue strains. However, during the course of a match players will be willing – at least to some extent – to push through pain in the hip, knee and leg. Warning signs that the hamstring could be under pressure and an injury could be on the way!
Hamstring problems typically include strains. These can be classified into three grades from the mildest at Grade 1 to the most severe at Grade 3. Other issues may involve overuse injuries and tendon avulsions where the tendon tears away from the bone.
Overuse injuries would include Proximal hamstring tendinopathy, a condition caused by overuse and poor load management. This leads to inflammation and degeneration of the tendon at the top of the hamstring, typically resulting in deep buttock pain. Hamstring tendonitis involves chronic microtears and inflammation of the tendon due to repetitive strain, often causing pain along the tendon itself. I assume and hope that any well looked after professional athlete would be advised and helped appropriately to avoid these chronic conditions.
These are the three grades of hamstring strain they would be in danger of experiencing in more detail with, crucially, an estimate of the typical period of competitive inactivity associated with each. I would confidently predict that most readers of this article will have experienced at least a Grade 1 strain.
Grade 1 Mild hamstring Strain
Typical symptoms would include a mild tightness or discomfort during activity with minimal or no bruising or swelling, and some degree of soreness when stretching or contracting the muscle. Sufferers can walk, though sprinting or running causes pain. The back of the thigh would be tender to touch.
Expected return to sport: 2–3 weeks.
Grade 2 Partial hamstring Tear
This would typically begin with a sudden sharp pain during the activity continuing while walking, especially upstairs. Bruising and swelling would appear within 24–48 hours. Sufferers would experience difficulty in bending the knee against resistance, resulting in imping or some degree of altered gait. The muscle would feel very tender.
Expected return to sport: 4–8 weeks.
Grade 3 Complete tear or Rupture
The athlete would feel a sudden, severe pain — often described as a “pop” – and would be unable to continue the activity at the time of injury. Black and blue bruising and significant swelling would appear quickly with a noticeable muscle deformity or dent in the back of the thigh. A sufferer would be unable to walk or bear weight properly
Expected return to sport: 3–6+ months
As you can see, the consequences, in terms of inability to continue competing, become vastly more significant as you move from Grade 1 through to Grade 3. It would be crucial, therefore, that a footballer heed the warning signs and seek to nip any problems in the bud. Pushing through that pain barrier where soft tissue injuries are concerned can make the difference between moving on to straightforward pain management (RICE) and exercise therapy for a week or more to surgical intervention. In other words, missing a game or two or half the season!
So, where does this leave Anthony Gordon and his detractors?
The accusation made was that he went down feeling one hamstring but when he walked off he was feeling the other one. He clearly hadn’t got his story straight, they said, and – furthermore – he wasn’t even limping!
I didn’t record the game so I haven’t been able to watch the footage to verify these claims but I’ll assume they’re accurate. So what? I have conducted an internet search and consulted medical professionals (ie my daughter) to find out what the likelihood might be of someone experiencing problems in both hamstrings simultaneously. There doesn’t appear to be any precisely quantified evidence but it is known that individuals with a history of hamstring injuries are at a higher risk for injuries in both legs.
As a typical “speedy” winger, Anthony Gordon’s game is based on devastating bursts of speed with sudden changes of direction. Having said that, he has missed games in the past due mainly to hip, thigh and ankle problems rather than hamstring ones – but all leg injuries which can have an influence on the state of his hamstrings. He definitely fits the profile of a “hamstring risk”.
As many of us will have experienced, a muscular problem on one side of our body often causes us to compensate in order to protect that side which, in turn, leads to a strain being applied to the opposite side – compensatory injuries. There needn’t be an injury as such but could well lead to cramping of the muscles which have become overloaded.
Anthony Gordon may well have felt some discomfort in one hamstring and pushed himself to continue, compensated for that problem and caused overloading on the opposite side. Feeling things getting worse, he’s made a decision. Stop, get the physio on and assess the situation. Do I want the club to lose me for a game or two or shall I push my luck and be out until next season?
I’m glad he took the sensible option.
Fortunately, the issue turned out not to be serious and he was available for the match against Spurs, providing the assist for Jacob Ramsey’s winner. This would suggest that his problem was more likely cramping rather than an actual hamstring strain or, at least, he caught things at an early stage and so avoided further damage. Leg cramps of all types routinely affect both legs simultaneously. How many of us have leapt out of bed in the early hours to stretch one calf or hamstring only to do the same for the other one minutes later?
Of course, none of this is conclusive. Only Anthony Gordon knows for a fact whether or not he was “hamming it up” last week. However, the scientific evidence supports the notion that pain in one leg could well be associated with pain in the other one and that walking normally would not be unusual.
I would personally go beyond the scientific view and look at the character of the person as well.
What is there in Anthony Gordon’s past that would suggest to anyone that he’s a quitter?
His stock in trade as a footballer is his feisty competitiveness.
His game is marked by his determination and drive to beat the opposition. Ironically, the very traits that made him a detested figure for many Newcastle United fans when he was at Everton.
A back story which may well explain why certain elements of our fan base may be quick to point the finger at him and appoint him “whipping boy” when things are not going well for us.
I could never imagine him tucking his tail between his legs and leaving his team mates to cope without him and it’s scurrilous that some people have been claiming that that is what he did.
Of course, now, the focus is on our captain and talisman, Bruno Guimaraes, who was limping around the stadium at the end of the Spurs game after suffering what appeared to be his own hamstring strain. Surely not another one hamming it up???