It’s possible to speed up Chong Wei’s recovery, says Ramlan

PETALING JAYA: A second round of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the KL Sports Medical Centre (KLSMC) revealed that world No.1 Lee Chong Wei has indeed suffered nothing more than a partial torn ligament in his ankle.

Chong Wei retired after just four minutes into his Thomas Cup Group C match against Denmark’s Peter-Gade Christensen on Tuesday and flew home the next day for further treatment.

National Sports Institute (NSI) chief executive officer Datuk Dr Ramlan Aziz believes that it is possible to speed up Chong Wei’s recovery period but he cannot guarantee that the shuttler will be fit in time for the London Olympics in July.

“Together with Dr Saw Khay Yong of the KLSMC, the NSI will try our very best to speed up the recovery process because he is our top priority and responsibility,” Dr Ramlan said after receiving the scan reports at the KLSMC yesterday.

“But time is actually running out, with only 64 days to the Olympics. If we had four months to heal Chong Wei, then there will be no worries ... unfortunately we do not have four months.
“We are confident that we can help Chong Wei recover as fast as possible but I can’t guarantee that he’ll be at his usual best when he takes to the court.

“Furthermore, even after recovery, he would still need to go through rehabilitation before he can train again.”

Meanwhile, Dr Ramlan explained that a stem cell method, supervised by Dr Saw, will be used to speed up the recovery process.

“He will have three injections in the next two weeks to help heal the damaged tissue,” said Dr Ramlan.
“What happens is that we will use his own cells to repair the damage in his ankle.
“It is a safe method and there will be no side effects.

“Furthermore, we are confident with Dr Saw’s treatment as he has previously treated Wong Mew Choo (former women’s national player). Hopefully, this is a way to shorten the period needed for recovery.”



THE STAR