Wayne Carey opens up about six-hour neck surgery to fix problem that could have paralysed him
AFL great Wayne Carey has given his fans an update on his health battle after having six hours of surgery to combat a severe health problem that could have left him paralysed.
The North Melbourne Kangaroos legend has been in the wars with his health and needed an operation to correct the effects of a spinal problem.
Carey was forced to retire in 2004 after suffering a neck injury that left him at risk of permanent paralysis, according to doctors.
‘My left hand is basically numb, right hand going numb, I’m getting shooting pains, all that sort of stuff,’ the 54-year-old said in late April.
‘I’ve fallen over a couple of times in the last couple of weeks.
‘I thought it was just me just maybe getting on in years and maybe tripped, but two days ago I went and saw a neurosurgeon.
Wayne Carey (pictured) had his neck operated on for six hours after doctors warned him he could be left paralysed due to an injury from his playing days
Carey was playing for the Adelaide Crows (pictured) when the injury forced him into retirement in 2004
‘I got MRIs to find out the extent [of the problem]. The last MRI I had on my neck was about 15 years ago, and it was pretty bad.’
Carey has now lifted the lid on the torrid time he had while being treated in hospital.
‘Once upon a time they would have cut you from ear to ear to do this operation and now the incision’s a keyhole,’ he told Sam Newman on their podcast this week.
‘They [surgeons] put a cage in there.
‘They took a heap of rubbish out that was compressing on my spinal cord and all the nerves and all that sort of stuff.
‘And then coming out of surgery, I’ve had a cough, a little bit of infection, you’ve got a temperature.’
That setback meant Carey had to spend an extra night in hospital, and now the two-time premiership winner is facing another surgical procedure.
‘So I have a hernia,’ he continued.
The two-time premiership winner has to return to hospital for another bout of surgery on a hernia in six weeks
Carey, 54, previously said his spinal problem resulted in his left hand going numb and caused him to suffer falls
‘I’ve got to go and have that done [operated on] in six weeks… this is the aftermath of playing AFL footy.’
Another side effect hit Carey after the surgery as painkillers left him constipated.
He weaned himself off the medication after three days but Carey asked doctors to treat him with a suppository to make him regular again.
Known as ‘The King’ due to his stellar on-field performances, Carey suffered the injury to his cervical spine in a match against Geelong on June 12, 2004.
He retired two weeks later after getting the news that he risked paralysis if he kept running out for the Adelaide Crows.
‘I was always half expecting the neurosurgeon to say what he said, but in saying that, it’s always a surprise,’ he said at the time.
‘It’s cut my career nine games short which is disappointing because, you know, I wanted to finish off and play some good games in the second half for the Adelaide footy club and hopefully have a few more wins.’
The neck injury was far from the only long-lasting damage the 54-year-old suffered in a career that spanned 15 seasons.
In 2022 he revealed that he was going under the knife to ‘replace and repair my left shoulder’ after having two reconstructions on that joint, and a further reconstruction on his right shoulder.
