It hasn't been a good season for Ireland and Lions full-back Rob Kearney. Just when the Leinster full-back seems to be gaining some momentum, another hamstring injury is holding him back.
The issue seemed to be related to a back problem leading to several hamstring strains that continues to halt his momentum. The good news is that Kearney is unlikely to need surgery to correct the problem.
But the seriousness of the problem comes when you see how Kearney himself describes the problem at Leinster's press conference on Monday:
I had surgery on my lower back four years ago now, shaved away a little bit of a disc. It stops that pressure going on the nerve, the sciatica that runs right down through your leg. My hamstrings themselves are very strong because I’ve been doing work on them, a lot of work strengthening them.
That, Kearney says is the reason why he keeps getting these low grade hamstring tears. According to the full-back - each individual hamstring issue only takes around a week to recover from - but it increases the susceptibility to another one.
You can clearly sense Kearney's frustration around the issue, and how chronic the problem seems to be. The Leinster man claims that he could have been fit to face Connacht three weeks ago, but it was decided to give him more rest and be wise with managing the problem. Not that he doesn't take a leaf out of Jamie Heaslip's book and ultra-manage himself:
You get no warning on them. You get out on the pitch. You feel great. You start sprinting around. And then ‘bang’. That’s the frustrating part of it. I do my pilates two, three times a week, stretching exercises, massage every day. Literally doing everything possible. And then they come. Out of the blue. That is the tough thing with it.
Kearney has been dealing with the problem in his back for the best part of decade, and it came to a head four years ago when Leinster were in the middle of their dominant European reign. Kearney missed most of their three European triumphs. His determination to overcome the problem knows no bounds:
I did some 3D running mechanics, everything possible to try and determine [how to fix everything]. We picked up a few little inefficiencies, a few parts of my body maybe where I was recruiting some muscles more than others.
The good news appears to be that Kearney won't need surgery, and should be available for Leinster's end of season campaign - as they push to regain their PRO12 title.
