Saq
Former England scrum-half Ben Youngs has revealed he underwent heart surgery after collapsing in front of fans during a Leicester Tigers training session.
Youngs, England’s most capped player, was diagnosed with arrhythmia and supraventricular tachycardia and underwent surgery at a Birmingham hospital after a worrying incident earlier this year.
The 34-year-old retired from international rugby at the end of last year’s World Cup and is hoping to be back in time for the new Premiership season, which begins on September 20.
“I’m on the mend, I’m recovering,” Youngs said on the For the love of rugby podcastwhich he co-hosts with England prop and Leicester colleague Dan Cole.
“You know, when we joked about the Pod a while ago, and we had this open training session in Leicester, and I said I was doing fitness, and basically I collapsed.
“I didn’t collapse, but I had to stop and lie down as my heart was pounding and the rain was hitting my face. I turned my head to the side and looked at all these admiring fans – 30 of them – who were all packed into the main stand at Leicester. And I thought, ‘This is it, this is how I’m going to go.’”
“I’ve had a few episodes of this and it’s been happening to me my whole life. And it can happen spontaneously at any stage of your life or career. I’ve had it my whole life, without knowing it.
“I’ve had a few episodes during my career but I’ve always been examined and we receive the best medical care. The club has been incredible as it so often is in these kinds of situations. I was examined the first time it happened, [then] A second time it happened again.
Youngs did not feature for Leicester at the end of last season’s Premiership, but made his return to playing as a substitute for the Barbarians at Twickenham on 22 June.
He had been fitted with a monitoring device on his chest during a previous hospital visit, before a session on a treadmill triggered his heart rate to rise above 200 beats per minute and “out of rhythm”.
“It’s a good thing it happened in the offseason because I can get treatment and the recovery time is not long at all,” Youngs said. “I’ll be in good shape for the start of the season.”
“The success rate is 90%, so I shouldn’t be in pain now. My heart should be healthy and it’s not going to suddenly race and go crazy.
“If you put rugby aside, it’s probably a good thing. It’s a problem now, but imagine in 10 years’ time you’re having fun with your kids or grandkids and something like this happens.
“It’s a bit of a panic, when in fact we’re fortunate to be exposed to good doctors and this has been seen as a long-term health problem.”
Saq
