12:43pm Friday 19th March 2010
By Neil Skinner
A former Watford FC youth academy player who feared he would never again kick a football says he is well on the road to recovery after overcoming a debilitating back condition.
Former Westfield student Akil Brown, 20, had a promising career ahead of him when he was diagnosed with Scoliosis – a debilitating curvature of the spine.
Mr Brown, who now lives in the north London area, explained: “I was in a lot of pain and couldn’t get my breath any more. I couldn’t play a full game and was devastated when I was diagnosed.”
The normal treatment for the condition, which affects about two in every 1,000 young people in the UK, is major spinal fusion surgery – a procedure that carries with it a risk of serious medical complication and takes many months to recover from.
Keen to avoid such major surgery, he underwent an intensive four week programme of physiotherapy and posture correction therapy with Scoliosis SOS, a private organisation that helped get him back on his feet.
Despite being a long way from his peak, Mr Brown says his life has been drastically improved. He added: “I’ve started playing in some matches again – which is a massive achievement. I’d still like to play professionally but I’m just happy to be playing at all.”
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