Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Soccer ace Alessandra Zeigler is back on her feet after suffering a horrific injury playing in the GulfWeekly and Citroen-sponsored Arsenal Soccer School Bahrain Ladies League, writes Mai Al Khatib-Camille.
Last season’s player-of-the-season tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a freak off-the-ball incident at the start of the new campaign at Soccer City in Hamala during a match against Venus.
The 27-year-old nurse who lives in Amwaj Islands said: “I was running towards the ball to try and prevent it from going out-of-bounds. Once I realised that I had no chance of reaching it I stopped running and went to turn.
“My lower leg was planted firmly into the turf; however, my upper leg shifted left then right abnormally with an audible pop and shearing sensation paired with it. I collapsed to the ground. I was unable to walk and had to be carried off the field.”
Midfield maestro Alessandra, known to her teammates as Alex, was taken to hospital, her leg was put in a cast and she was sent home with a plan to see Orthopaedic specialists the following day at the Bahrain Defence Force Hospital (BDF).
Still suffering excruciating pain, the medics soon realised something was seriously wrong. She said: “When Dr Fahad Al Khalifa entered the room and saw how much pain I was in, he bypassed an examination and ordered a scan straight away.
“The (magnetic resonance imaging) MRI revealed a completely torn ACL with bleeding in the joint, a significant bone contusion (bruise) and a medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain. Thankfully, I had no injury to the meniscus (the knee cartilage).”
She was told that undergoing surgery would give her the best outcome and a more stable return to contact, agility-based sports. Three days later, she went under the knife and awoke to an array of beautiful flowers from friends and her Arsenal Ladies teammates. She was discharged the next day and began physical therapy.
An ACL tear or sprain is one of the most common knee injuries for athletes who participate in sports like football and basketball. Just like Alessandra’s injury, an ACL sprain or tear normally occurs from changing direction rapidly, stopping suddenly, slowing down while running or landing from a jump incorrectly.
Several studies have shown that female athletes have a higher incidence of ACL injury than male athletes in certain sports. It has been proposed that this is due to differences in physical conditioning, muscular strength and neuromuscular control.
It will take Alessandra around a year to fully recover and she should be 98 per cent back to normal. She aims to return to the sport in January.
She said: “I had physical therapy four times per week the first four weeks and now I am down to three times per week while doing four days on my own. I am still going to the BDF and they are using all sorts of modalities to assist in my healing and repair.
“I just started hydrotherapy and, being a swimmer my whole life in addition to a soccer player, I am relieved I can at least continue to pursue one of my sporting passions.”
She added that her husband, Mark, 30, a pilot, has been ‘a saviour’ and has helped her to recover much quicker than anticipated.
Alessandra has always loved football and is eager to get back on the pitch as soon as possible. She added: “I have been playing since I was four – as soon as I could run and keep up with my older brothers. Not being able to play has been very difficult for me.
“I am so blessed to have the Arsenal Ladies in my life and even though I cannot play until next January, I will continue to support them.
“I would also like to give a special thank you to the team’s coach Liam and his colleagues, the entire BDF team that took care of me and continues to take care of me through this injury. Lastly, and most importantly, I want to thank Mark for being a shining example of a good husband and best friend. I’d be lost without him.”
