Paudie Maher says he’s grateful his neck injury was discovered sooner rather than later.
The 3-time All-Ireland winning hurler announced his retirement on Tuesday, following advice from doctors to stop contact sport.
The Thurles man says he first started feeling pain in his neck and headaches in the lead up to last year’s county final in November.
In an online media event today, Paidi spoke about his reaction to hearing the doctor’s advice:
“I was in a state of shock to be honest with you.
“The doctor was very nice to me down in Limerick and explained the whole situation top to bottom, he left no stone unturned because he knew himself the decision that was being made for me.
“It wasn’t a nice place but as it was put to me, I’m very lucky in the fact that it was picked up now.
“It’s very unlucky in one way but obviously very as well and it could’ve been a lot worse if I gave another four or five months of physical contact and what might happen.
“In that regard I am very grateful for the help the doctors gave me.”
When Maher found out about the extent of his injury, he wanted to find out more from the doctor about his long-term health:
“He said ‘you’ll be fine once you take the risk out of it and the risk is contact sport’.
“Unfortunately that was not the news I really wanted but when he went through the scans and showed me the different implications and the things that were involved in it, I suppose it was fairly self-explanatory after that.
“The risk is being taken away now so I hope it won’t get any worse.
“I’m very lucky, he’s told me that I can still do loads of exercise, I can still go running, I can still go swimming and cycling, it’s just certain things in the gym I won’t be able to do now.
“I can’t push myself too hard in the gym and I can’t do contact but I can still do plenty more which I’m grateful to.”
