The drastic decision of a Welsh player not to finish his career

The third line of Dragons, Shane Lewis-Hughesrevealed that he had to make a difficult but necessary decision: undergo the amputation of his ring finger after years of dealing with constant pain. Live the best of rugby on Disney+.

The forward suffered an injury eight years ago that worsened over time, hindering both his daily life and his performance in the game, and he finally opted to remove the finger up to just above the knuckle.

“I’ve been dealing with it since 2016”he confessed in official statements to his club. Although it did not initially affect his game, in 2020 the pain intensified. In 2021, after shoulder surgery, he decided to fuse his finger, but this limited his mobility and continued to be a problem.

“I can’t make a fist or bend it properly. The fusion took away some of the pain, but in a contact sport, you need to be able to grab things.”he explained.

Described as “a very strong toothache combined with electric shocks”became unbearable during a match against Connacht in October. The surgery, which was originally planned for after the season, was brought forward.

“It will have a great impact on my life in the future. I will no longer have pain, I will be able to do my job well”said the 27-year-old, who hopes to return to play in three or four weeks.

Lewis-Hughes, who has three caps with Welshhighlighted that amputation will not only improve their performance, but will also eliminate major risks: “They told me that if the infection continued, I could lose my hand or even my arm.”. And he concluded: “The positive news is that once your finger is amputated, you don’t lose strength”.