World Rugby Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit came close to having a leg amputated after a freak Super Rugby injury, medical staff at his Cape Town club told reporters on Tuesday.
The World Cup-winning Springboks and Stormers loose forward limped off with what initially seemed a minor leg injury in a match against the Blues last month.
However, the blow to his leg soon turned into a medical emergency, a Stormers medical staff member told reporters on condition of anonymity.
“Pieter-Steph suffered a hematoma, which is a solid swelling of clotted blood within the tissue and is a very rare occurrence,” the source said. “It quickly transformed into an acute compartment syndrome, a condition that occurs when pressure within the muscles soars to dangerous levels.”
“This pressure may decrease blood flow, preventing nourishment and oxygen from reaching nerve and muscle cells,” they said.
“If the medical staff do not quickly realize the seriousness of the injury, the patient loses blood supply to the leg and it may have to be amputated,” they added.
Du Toit was rushed to a hospital, where he had an operation the same day. The two-time South African Rugby Player of the Year is expected to play again in about three months.
A South African radio station quoted Stormers coach John Dobson as hailing club doctor Jason Suter for his swift action.
“The doctor deserves huge credit for his quick and accurate assessment of the injury sustained by Pieter-Steph,” Dobson said. “Without his timely intervention, I think Pieter-Steph could have lost his leg — almost half the reported cases of acute compartment syndrome have resulted in amputations.”
An injury curse has struck the Stormers this season, with Du Toit joining fellow Springboks Herschel Jantjies, Steven Kitshoff, Bongi Mbonambi and Siya Kolisi on the casualty list.
Loose forward Kolisi (knee) and hooker Mbonambi (hamstring) were sidelined during the opening-round triumph over the Hurricanes.
Scrumhalf Jantjies fractured a leg between the knee and ankle, while prop Kitshoff tore a rib muscle during a loss to the Coastal Sharks on Saturday last week.
Super Rugby, which involves clubs from Argentina, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa, was suspended after round seven last weekend because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Andy Marinos, the chief executive of competition organizer SANZAAR, has said that if matches cannot resume within five weeks, the season could be canceled.
A possible solution would be for Australia (including Japan’s Sunwolves), New Zealand and South Africa (including Argentina’s Jaguares) to stage local derbies.
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