VCF Medical Services explain Cillessen operation

Jasper Cillessen was discharged from hospital on Friday, after having undergone surgery this week to treat a hamstring injury.

Dr. Pedro López Mateu, the Head of the Valencia CF Medical Department, gave VCF Media an update on the goalkeeper’s condition.

“He is doing very well. This morning we discharged him and he is back at home. The most important thing is to ensure the player’s health and make sure that everything turns out as we wanted,” he said, before describing how the injury came about.

“During training last Friday he made a striking movement that is quite common. His injury is muscular.

The quadriceps muscle is made up of four muscle planes. Of those four, the rectus femoris is the only one of the four that crosses two joints: The hip and the knee. Its function is to help flex the hip and it is very important in knee extension. The biomechanical movement of kicking a ball involves those two moves, therefore that muscle is much more easily injured than the other three that make up the quadriceps.

We are not only talking about the muscle, but also the tendon, which is what makes the muscle stay attached to the bone.”

Dr. López Mateu also explained the procedure undergone by Cillessen this week.

“The operation was to reconstruct the insertion of that muscle, re-anchoring it in its natural and normal position. They used special ‘harpoons’ that have double sutures, which take the end of the injured tendon and reinsert it in its position within the pelvis of the bone.

We could see the seriousness of the injury from the beginning. We perceived that it was a significant injury and that it was necessary to consult with specialists to assess the possibility of surgery.”

The doctor added that several experts were considered before the operation took place, including in the Netherlands, Barcelona and Valencia -where Cillessen eventually opted to go under the knife with the support of the club.

As for a timeframe for a comeback for the Dutchman, Dr. López Mateu urged caution and patience.

“We will go slowly with him. Recovery takes a long time. When you want to set specific dates, it is difficult. These are injuries that force us to be prudent from the beginning and see how things develop every day. Our idea is to take care of and ensure the health of our footballers, and make sure that they fully recover. We don’t set competition deadlines, but rather look towards a date in which they have made a full recovery.”