Tendulkar back to normal

MUMBAI, SEPT 20: Sachin Tendulkar was quick to quash reports that Dr Peter Barnes of the Australian Cricket Academy ACA had said that h...

MUMBAI, SEPT 20: Sachin Tendulkar was quick to quash reports that Dr Peter Barnes of the Australian Cricket Academy ACA had said that his back injury could limit his career. 8220;I was present at the press conference in Australia where Barnes reported to have made the remarks. Dr Barnes didn8217;t say that my career could be restricted,8221; Tendulkar said on returing home on Sunday night after undergoing treatment at the Adelaide-based cricket academy.

But Dr Barnes said today in Melbourne that Tendulkar had been suffering from the condition for years and would have it for the rest of his life, but he did not expect it to be a 8220;major disability8221;.

8220;It8217;s a normal sports injury. Such injuries are quite high among rugby players,8221; said Dr Anant Joshi, the orthopaedic surgeon who accompanied Tendulkar to Australia. The doctor belied reports that the injury will limit the batsman8217;s strokes and he would also have to use a lighter bat.

8220;Bio-mechanically he has been doing what he has playing with a heavy batand executing strokes for the last 15 years. So his body has adapted to the strokes he executes.8221;

Dr Joshi was there in Australia to give a first hand account of Tendulkar8217;s problems to the medical experts there. The panel of specialists who examined Tendulkar in Australia included, besides Dr Peter Barnes specialist on back spasms and head of the medical panel for Austrlian Rules Football Commission, S Cormack muscle strengthening specialist, Andrew Zealand manipulative therapy expert, Max Psitzner the physio attached to the Australian Cricket Academy and cricket coach Richard Dunne.

Speaking at length to The Indian Express, Dr Joshi gave an insight into Tendulkar8217;s rehab programme. 8220;As part of his exercies, Sachin will be working out with Swiss balls different from the conventional medicine balls for facilitating flexibility to his back. This ball would require him to roll over it. Andrew Kokinos the Indian physio till recently had introduced the concept in the Indian team.8221;

Tendulkarhas brought along with him from Australia extensive illustrations of the exercies that has been charted out for him by the experts. He is already familiar with the exercises, as he is doing it for the past one week. He is already feeling much better.

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Psitzner8217;s exercises are basically to strengthen the lower back, pelvic, abdomen and trunk. Tendulkar will have to slowly increase the exercises work load bending on his sides, back-arching and rotation of the trunk. Incidentally, Psitzner is the man who treated Shane Warne after his shoulder surgery last year.

8220;Australian doctors had lot of experience in treating rugby players and cricketers with similar problems,8221; Dr Joshi explained the reason for going Down Under for what is a common ailment. He said that Tendulkar would be able to resume normal sporting activities in two weeks8217; time.

Ajit Agarkar, who went along with Tendulkar to consult the Australian experts for the hamstring injury he had sustained last month, also returned home. He is expected tobe fit in the next three weeks.