SC Villa new signing Denis Ojara could be out for about 24-36 weeks, after sustaining a bad injury last week.
On Tuesday, the club confirmed that the forward suffered a Complete tear of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament(ACL)[Grade 3] during a pre-season tournament.
The former Onduparaka star made a very good Jogoo introduction of himself, scoring a goal on his debut as Villa beat Maroons 2-1 to reach the semifinal of the Super 8 tournament played at the Muteesa II Stadium in Wankulukuku.
In the semifinal, the striker was absent, due to the injury he had suffered in the past match, and his side went on to lose on penalties to BUL FC after a one-all draw in which another Villa new comer Peter Onzima and BUL’s Samuel Ssekamatte scored a goal each.
There’s little doubt that Ojara’s versatility and agressiveness had already impressed new Villa coach Dusan Stojanovic. Early signs were that the player would be the coach’s go-to man in case they needed goals.
So sad for the coach, and the player that he’ll not get to make his Villa UPL debut soon. He’ll have to wait atleast until the second round.
Grade 3 ACL tears happen when the ACL is torn completely in half and is no longer providing any stability to the knee joint.
Now, a surgery will be required for Ojara to return to action, the club has confirmed.
If it was very minor tear (sprain), it could have healed with non-surgical treatments and regenerative medicine therapy. But full ACL tears cannot be healed without surgery.
Football activities involve alot of pivoting movements on the knee, and only physical therapy rehabilitation can’t be enough.
The club is yet to ascertain for how long the player will be out, but according to doctors, it usually takes six to nine months to recover from a torn ACL.
The player may need a little more time than that to heal fully before he’s cleared to return to resume physical activities.
Meanwhile, it’s upto the doctors assigned to the patient to keep assessing the player to see if he can return either earlier or later than the suggested time frame.
