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Tiger's cure in a cock's comb
Brent Read From: The Australian April 17, 2010 12:00AM
THE head of a rooster could end up saving the season - and possibly the career - of Wests Tigers winger Taniela Tuiaki. Sidelined since late last season after breaking his ankle, Tuiaki will undergo a radical series of injections over the next three weeks in a desperate attempt to have him back on the field this year.
The Tongan giant will have a substance called hyaluronan - which is extracted from the red combs of roosters and hens - injected into the ankle once a week. The process is designed to complement the existing fluid in the ankle, relieving pain and improving the joint's natural shock-absorbing abilities.
The decision to use the technique, usually used for arthritis in the knee, shows how desperate things have become for the Tigers and Tuiaki. The blockbusting winger injured his ankle in the latter stages of last season and has struggled to return to full fitness.
He underwent a second bout of surgery in the pre-season and officials at the club are still in the dark over when he will return.
"It was a bad injury," Tigers recruitment manager Warren McDonnell said yesterday. "He's training his heart out. He's trying to get back. It's very slow healing. Even if it takes until halfway through the year, he's still worth the time and effort."
Tuiaki was among the most potent players in the NRL before being struck down last year. Prior to his injury, he had scored 21 tries in 22 games and Tigers officials and supporters were salivating over the prospect of pairing him on the wing with Lote Tuqiri this season. However, they have been forced to adopt a patient approach as Tuiaki attempts to return to full fitness. The decision to use hyaluronan has been taken on the advice of club doctor Donald Kuah, one of the most respected medical practitioners in the country.
Although hyaluronan was discovered in the 1930s, it wasn't used on humans until the 80s. At one point it was described as the next big thing after Botox, because it was used to treat facial wrinkles. But it has also been used to reduce inflammation in arthritic knees and prevent post-surgery scar tissue. Rooster combs provide the purest form of hyaluronic acid, present in every tissue of the body, but most concentrated in the synovial fluid that bathes the joints.
The most famed purveyor of the process is German doctor Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt, who pioneered its use for sporting injuries.
Muller-Wohlfahrt has treated some of the world's most famous athletes, including soccer stars Ronaldo and Michael Owen, athletics stars Paula Radcliffe, Kelly Holmes and Maurice Greene, cricketer Darren Gough, and Spanish golfer Jose Maria Olazabal. He also treated Socceroo Harry Kewell when the Galatasaray star was struggling with injury.
The Wests Tigers' decision to try the radical technique continues the NRL's fascination with new and alternative treatments in recent seasons.
Tiger's cure in a cock's comb
Brent Read From: The Australian April 17, 2010 12:00AM
THE head of a rooster could end up saving the season - and possibly the career - of Wests Tigers winger Taniela Tuiaki. Sidelined since late last season after breaking his ankle, Tuiaki will undergo a radical series of injections over the next three weeks in a desperate attempt to have him back on the field this year.
The Tongan giant will have a substance called hyaluronan - which is extracted from the red combs of roosters and hens - injected into the ankle once a week. The process is designed to complement the existing fluid in the ankle, relieving pain and improving the joint's natural shock-absorbing abilities.
The decision to use the technique, usually used for arthritis in the knee, shows how desperate things have become for the Tigers and Tuiaki. The blockbusting winger injured his ankle in the latter stages of last season and has struggled to return to full fitness.
He underwent a second bout of surgery in the pre-season and officials at the club are still in the dark over when he will return.
"It was a bad injury," Tigers recruitment manager Warren McDonnell said yesterday. "He's training his heart out. He's trying to get back. It's very slow healing. Even if it takes until halfway through the year, he's still worth the time and effort."
Tuiaki was among the most potent players in the NRL before being struck down last year. Prior to his injury, he had scored 21 tries in 22 games and Tigers officials and supporters were salivating over the prospect of pairing him on the wing with Lote Tuqiri this season. However, they have been forced to adopt a patient approach as Tuiaki attempts to return to full fitness. The decision to use hyaluronan has been taken on the advice of club doctor Donald Kuah, one of the most respected medical practitioners in the country.
Although hyaluronan was discovered in the 1930s, it wasn't used on humans until the 80s. At one point it was described as the next big thing after Botox, because it was used to treat facial wrinkles. But it has also been used to reduce inflammation in arthritic knees and prevent post-surgery scar tissue. Rooster combs provide the purest form of hyaluronic acid, present in every tissue of the body, but most concentrated in the synovial fluid that bathes the joints.
The most famed purveyor of the process is German doctor Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt, who pioneered its use for sporting injuries.
Muller-Wohlfahrt has treated some of the world's most famous athletes, including soccer stars Ronaldo and Michael Owen, athletics stars Paula Radcliffe, Kelly Holmes and Maurice Greene, cricketer Darren Gough, and Spanish golfer Jose Maria Olazabal. He also treated Socceroo Harry Kewell when the Galatasaray star was struggling with injury.
The Wests Tigers' decision to try the radical technique continues the NRL's fascination with new and alternative treatments in recent seasons.
