Explained: Eden Hazards’ ankle surgery, rationale and return timeline

Eden Hazard has suffered from a series of injuries since his much hyped move from Chelsea. But he had been lightning-struck by a stubborn ankle fracture that eventually required re-implantation of a metallic plate (“osteosynthesis plate”) to stabilize the fracture and allow it to heal.

Since the surgical procedure, Hazard has reportedly never been completely comfortable and petitioned to have it surgically removed last season which of course didn’t happen. However, his course has now taken him back to that path and he will undergo surgery to remove that plate.

In the following video, I explained the rationale behind that decision, how it could help him, and the overall outlook following this type of surgery (which I’ve actually had done to my own ankle).

Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT has a doctorate in physical therapy from Northern Arizona University, and runs his own in-person and online sports medicine and performance business, 3CB Performance, in West LA and Valencia, CA in which he further combines his movement expertise and fitness training. He also works at a hospital — giving him experience with patients in the immediate healthcare setting and neurological patients (post stroke, post brain injury) — and has been practicing for 4 years. Brar is additionally training at UCLA’s mindful awareness research center (MARC), has a background in youth football coaching and analyzes Real Madrid from a medical and skills perspective for Managing Madrid and on his own YouTube Channel. You can follow him on Twitter at @3cbPerformance.