Dublin's David Byrne is proof that surgery on ACL tear isn't always necessary
NO SURGERY KNEEDED: David Byrne went down the non-operation route with his knee recovery. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
A test case? All-Ireland winning Dublin defender David Byrne isn't sure if that's entirely accurate but his fitness, and more specifically his dodgy knee, will be closely monitored by his peers in the coming months and seasons.
The 29-year-old suffered an ACL tear after the 2022 National League campaign though opted to go down 'the non-surgical route' and was back playing two months later.
He made it all the way through this season as well - Byrne was one of the few established players who even played in January's O'Byrne Cup - and lasted the duration of July's All-Ireland final win over Kerry, picking up his eighth winners' medal.
Byrne has no plans in the medium-term to undergo surgery, which typically comes with an eight to 10-month recovery period, reporting that the joint is working 'perfect' and is 'feeling really good'.
It is a story that will give hope to injured players around the country, particularly female players who are more prone to the dreaded cruciate injury.
There is one part of Byrne's hopeful tale that shouldn't be overlooked though. When he was playing for Dublin against Roscommon back in May at Croke Park in the new All-Ireland group stage, he twisted his injured left knee and was taken off early.
At the time, he was sure it was a full ACL rupture and had already written off the remainder of the season. As it turned out, he only missed two games, against Kildare and Sligo, and was back for the knock-out series.
"It was about eight minutes in (against Roscommon) and there was a particular movement where my foot just kind of got stuck in the ground and it honestly felt like I had torn my ACL again, I got this really sharp pain up the knee," said Byrne at an event organised by Dublin GAA sponsors AIG to celebrate the 2023 season.
"Then I was sitting in the stand thinking, 'I'm going to be gone for the season here, I'm going to need to get surgery on it'. And once you get surgery, it's six to eight months, maybe even longer, to get back.
"But we scanned it up and it was actually looking perfectly healthy, it turned out I had just jarred my knee a little bit and was being a bit of a drama queen and was perfectly fine.
"I went from thinking that I was going to need surgery on my ACL to finding out my ACL is actually perfectly fine and I could go back training. It was a rare time when you go in for a scan because you are injured and you actually get good news.
"It was a bit of a rollercoaster week for me. I was blessed, I suppose, at the end of the day."
Byrne agreed that the expectation following a cruciate tear is that corrective surgery, and a lengthy spell out of the game, is the next step.
"There are a few studies coming out recently that say actually if you go for the non-operative route, the outcomes can actually be better," he continued.
"So I went for the non-operative route, just because I was trying to get back in time for the All-Ireland championship that was coming up that summer in 2022.
"It's just something I kind of manage but it's holding up very well for me."
Byrne shrugged at the 'test case' suggestion.
"Yeah, well, when it happened, I was talking to some experts in the field and they were telling me about different individuals, you'd be surprised that there are a few people out there that are playing with no ACLs.
"It's something that was said back a few years ago, that if you tore your ACL that you needed surgery, but some people are going down the non-operating route.
"You just need to be really disciplined with your rehab and try to build up everything else around it and get that as strong as possible.
"It's perfect, thankfully. It's feeling really good and I wouldn't really be thinking about it all, so thankfully it's holding up."
If Byrne's knee can hold up for a few more seasons, he could just emerge as the most successful inter-county player of all time.
Along with Cormac Costello, also 29, he is the youngest eight-time medallist, one behind the three Dublin players who have nine, and two behind hurling's Henry Shefflin.
"We are in an okay position but you never know what's coming around the corner," said Byrne of the potential record.
"I won't think too much about it, it would probably be a big distraction if I do."
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