‘This was a big deal' – RTE's Eamon Horan opens up on overcoming major injury ahead of return to screen after 12 weeks
RTE sports anchor Eamon Horan has opened up about overcoming a major injury as he prepares to return to screens after twelve weeks of recovery.
The journalist, who has spent years reporting on player injuries, has been off-air himself for the past three months while recovering from spinal fusion surgery.
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Eamon has been off-air for the past three months while recovering from spinal fusion surgery
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The sports journalist has opened up about his injury
Credit: RTE
Even though he only had the surgery this year, Eamon may have been carrying the injury around for years without knowing it.
It was during a clash between
Eamon told the
"On occasion, I'd wake up in the middle of the night with a cramp in my leg and have to get up and walk around the bedroom – my wife thought it was nuts."
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It was when the nerves in his leg started visibly 'hopping', that Eamon knew it was time to do something and he headed to the UMPC Sports Surgery Clinic in Co
Physiotherapy and a sciatic nerve injection didn't ease the pain so he was eventually referred to Dr Michael Kelleher, a man he says he "really can't speak highly enough of".
Dr Kelleher sent him for a CT scan and MRI, quickly spotting a broken bone in his lower back in the L5-S1 region, which is a significant weight-bearing joint.
The chipped and broken bone had been pressing against his nerves, which explained the problems he had been feeling in his leg.
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The solution was spinal fusion surgery, which is a procedure that joins multiple vertebrae into a single bone.
Dr Kelleher had quickly identified the issue and the operation, which happened in February, was a success - but the cause of the injury was still unknown.
Joanna Donnelly breaks silence on exit from RTE
When he questioned how the damage may have happened, the
While he couldn't say for sure when it happened, there was one soccer game in particular that stuck out in his memory as a possible cause.
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Eamon explained: "I did play a bit of Gaelic football – when you're from Ballycumber you've no choice – and soccer as well. I remember playing a game of soccer and I did a sort of Paul Gascoigne-style lunge. I was in a lot of back pain after that.
"I think it was when I started my Leaving Cert. For a week or two, I ended up sleeping on the floor because I was in a bad way."
Spinal fusion surgery comes with high expectations and legendary golfer
Eamon spent some time reading up on the golfer's comeback but also quickly realised the dangers of relying too much on "Dr Google".
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'BIG DEAL'
He told how much of the information online, especially the American sites, was full of drama and "a lot of pill-popping", and warned it should really come with a
Thankfully, the medical professionals Eamon dealt with focused instead on "TLC, patience and taking it easy".
Six weeks into his 10 to 12-week recovery, the
Instead, his physiotherapist advised him to slow down as his nerves were still too sensitive post-surgery.
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The journalist also urged others to be more cautious when searching for medical advice online.
He admitted: "People will overcome much sterner diagnoses and much bigger difficulties in their lives, but for me this was a big deal."
With his recovery now behind him, Eamon is gearing up for his return to RTE ahead of a busy
He added: "I'm looking forward to getting back to work. I enjoy what I do and I'm in a very privileged position to bring people sporting stories to screen, and I'm looking forward to being back for what is a busy summer ahead in sport."
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