West Ham United's medical department has enlisted the
expertise of one of the country's leading sports rehabilitation
specialists in a bid to see Dean Ashton through the final stages of
his recovery from a broken ankle.
The Hammers striker has recently suffered some minor complications that have prevented him from making a return to full contact training, but is now hopeful that he will be ready to join in with his Upton Park team-mates sooner rather than later thanks to the help of Alan Watson.
Alan, of the BiMAL Medical and Sports Rehabilitation Clinic, in Chiswick, West London, has treated some of Britain's top sportsmen in the last 20 years, including the likes of Linford Christie, Will Carling and David Coulthard, and recently agreed to assess our 23-year-old striker
Head Physiotherapist Steve Allen says: "I have known Alan for many years, and he is widely considered the top physiotherapist in the country for dealing with chronic musculo-skeletal injuries such as the one suffered by Dean.
"He agreed to see Dean last week and carried out a comprehensive three-hour evaluation, consisting of video analysis, ultra-sound scanning and cybex assessment.
"The results led Alan to describe Dean's strength and power levels as higher than any other athlete he has assessed in 20 years. However, he also discovered an area of scar tissue that was impinging on the front of Dean's ankle, causing him discomfort when running at a certain pace.
"This has subsequently been injected under an ultra-sound scan, and Dean is now to rest for four days before being re-assessed at BiMAL, when he hope he will be given the all-clear to resume his fitness work and push on to full training.
"And as a result of our work with BiMAL this week, I'm also delighted to confirm that Alan has agreed to act as a consultant to the Club's medical department whenever we need him in the future.
"It further demonstrates our willingness to take the Club forward and leave no stone unturned when treating our injured players. We have explored every avenue in our bid to ensure that Dean Ashton returns to action in the best possible condition, and Alan Watson has now played a vital role in that objective."
*Look out for exclusive coverage of Dean Ashton's visit to BiMAL later this week on whufc.com
The Hammers striker has recently suffered some minor complications that have prevented him from making a return to full contact training, but is now hopeful that he will be ready to join in with his Upton Park team-mates sooner rather than later thanks to the help of Alan Watson.
Alan, of the BiMAL Medical and Sports Rehabilitation Clinic, in Chiswick, West London, has treated some of Britain's top sportsmen in the last 20 years, including the likes of Linford Christie, Will Carling and David Coulthard, and recently agreed to assess our 23-year-old striker
Head Physiotherapist Steve Allen says: "I have known Alan for many years, and he is widely considered the top physiotherapist in the country for dealing with chronic musculo-skeletal injuries such as the one suffered by Dean.
"He agreed to see Dean last week and carried out a comprehensive three-hour evaluation, consisting of video analysis, ultra-sound scanning and cybex assessment.
"The results led Alan to describe Dean's strength and power levels as higher than any other athlete he has assessed in 20 years. However, he also discovered an area of scar tissue that was impinging on the front of Dean's ankle, causing him discomfort when running at a certain pace.
"This has subsequently been injected under an ultra-sound scan, and Dean is now to rest for four days before being re-assessed at BiMAL, when he hope he will be given the all-clear to resume his fitness work and push on to full training.
"And as a result of our work with BiMAL this week, I'm also delighted to confirm that Alan has agreed to act as a consultant to the Club's medical department whenever we need him in the future.
"It further demonstrates our willingness to take the Club forward and leave no stone unturned when treating our injured players. We have explored every avenue in our bid to ensure that Dean Ashton returns to action in the best possible condition, and Alan Watson has now played a vital role in that objective."
*Look out for exclusive coverage of Dean Ashton's visit to BiMAL later this week on whufc.com