David Beckham and the World Cup: Could Alternative Surgery Have Saved His Bid?

David Beckham has undergone a successful operation on his ruptured Achilles' tendon, which will certainly see him ruled out of this summer’s World Cup.

The procedure, carried out by Professor Sakari Orava in Finland, went without a hitch. Orava claims that it could be up to five months before he can run again.

There are two traditional procedures for Achilles surgery, which offer contrasting benefits. But a new, third method has just been trialled with remarkable results.

Could this new operation have got Beckham fit in time to make the plane to South Africa?

Augmented surgery is the operation that Beckham underwent. In this procedure, there is a single large incision made lengthways along the back of the ankle. The tendon is then stitched together and the wound sealed up.

Percutaneous , the standard alternative to augmented surgery, is a method where several small incisions are made rather than one large one.

Out of these two options, augmented is stronger and provides a low rate of re-rupture, but there are more post-surgery complications with the large wound. Both require a cast or walking boot to be worn for around 6-12 weeks.

Issues have been noticed with wearing protective casing around the ankle. Re-rupturing can occur because of increased strain put on the tendon due to the false sense of security offered by a cast or boot combined with the unnatural walking position.

However, there is a new experimental method put forward by the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Shimane University School of Medicine in Japan.

They use a different type of stitching, which they designed themselves, and a stronger thread to hold the tendon together. This gives a much stronger reconstruction and means that the patient doesn’t have to wear a cast or boot at all.

With this novel approach, the patient can begin movement on the ankle as early as the next day.

But the main advantage is in the range of mobility offered. As the patient won’t need a cast, they can regain their full range of motion within four weeks. With his surgery, Beckham will still be wearing his cast for at least a further fortnight after this point.

In the trial, patients’ Achilles were up to normal strength within three months and they were playing sport again in an additional two weeks.

Additionally, the stitching is on the inside of the tendon, allowing easier ‘gliding’ during movement compared with the standard stitching on the outside of the tendon, which leaves a noticeable bump.

While this method has shown very promising results, it is new and possible future complications are unknown.

But as this was Beckham’s last chance at a World Cup, would he have opted for this new approach regardless if he was given the choice?