This x-ray shows the results of the advanced surgery which aims to get Liam Pitchford back to his best and competing at the top of the world.
Liam has undergone hip resurfacing surgery, an evolution of a similar procedure that extended the career of British tennis great Andy Murray. It was performed in London on December 1 by world-renowned specialist Professor Damian Griffin.
The x-ray shows the ceramic surface added to the top of Liam’s right femur, where it sits in the hip socket.
The surgery was necessary due to a combination of cartilage damage and bone friction in the joint, which Liam has been suffering from for some time. However, the lack of mobility and associated pain reached the stage last year where a more permanent solution had to be found.
The image also shows two temporary pins that hold the bone in place where it was deliberately broken to facilitate surgery and is now healing.
Liam was on crutches after surgery, but was still able to work on his upper body and use an exercise bike. He is now off crutches and has moved on to the next phase of his rehabilitation.
The surgery was carried out to give Liam the best possible chance to compete at his best ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. If he qualifies, this would be his fifth consecutive Olympics.
For the starting point of the journey that has led to this point, you have to go back to just before his first Olympic Games, on home soil in London in 2012.
“I’ve known about this problem for a long time. I first saw a doctor about it just before the 2012 Olympics,” says Liam.
“Where the top of the femur fits into the socket did not move as it should, causing the bone to catch against the hip socket and restricting movement in the hip.
“When I first went to the doctor he said I didn’t need the operation, and I spent six weeks in recovery and then continued until Covid.
“It’s been up and down since then. Some weeks I was good, but some weeks it got worse, especially the more I traveled and the more I played.
“So in the back of my mind I knew I probably needed surgery, but it’s not an easy decision to make.
“I knew that Paul (Drinkhall) and Dave (McBeath) had had similar operations and it would take a long time for me to come back. That weighed on my mind so I tried to play through it.
“At the end of 2024 I started having problems again. Last February I could no longer participate in a squad session without sharp pain. When you try to compete at the highest level, that’s not good and that was the only thing on my mind.”
“I had an MRI scan and spoke to Professor Griffin and at that point I was ready. But there were some big events coming up so I tried to play through it for a while.
“We went to Spain for a week of preseason camp and I tried to train a little more. I was sharing a room with Sam (Walker) and I felt my hip going, and I told Sam it hadn’t been like that before.”
“I couldn’t train for the Sweden Smash (mid-August) and couldn’t play well. It got to the point where I knew I couldn’t compete anymore.”
The first step was a keyhole procedure on Harley Street in London, during which dye was injected into Liam’s hip to check the extent of the damage.
Liam then discussed his options with Professor Griffin and England physio Justin Lucas-Hill and it was agreed that hip resurfacing, which Professor Griffin recommended, was the best way forward. The operation was carried out at a hospital in St John’s Wood.
“We talked about my goal to go to LA and do five Olympics and he said I had to have it now,” Liam said.
“He cut off part of the bone, dislocated the hip, shaved the bone and reshaped it. He applied a ceramic coating to the top of my femur and into the lining of my hip socket and then replaced the bone he had cut and screwed it in with two metal screws.
“I now have quite a large scar on the side of my right hip and I will be on crutches for six weeks and then start my rigorous rehabilitation.
“Since he didn’t have to cut any muscle, he thinks I can start slowly on the table in about three to four months (from surgery), which is sooner than I expected and best-case scenario really.
“It feels a lot better and I’ve been able to get some bike work done and some upper body work done by Dave Hembrough (from Sports Science partner Sheffield Hallam University) and Justin.
“Professor Griffin said nothing is guaranteed, I knew that, but I had to do it to play pain free and give myself the best chance to compete at the top again.”
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