Rio Ferdinand has shared more information about his recent four-day hospital stay after being rushed in with ‘chronic’ back pain.
The former professional footballer, 42, explained during the Vibe With Five podcast that the injury was ‘worst pain he had ever had’ and he even cried at one point.
During his appearance on the show, Rio told how he pushed through the pain to be able to celebrate Halloween with his family.
Ouch! Rio Ferdinand has shared more information about his recent four-day hospital stay after being rushed in with ‘chronic’ back pain
Rio is father to sons Lorenz, 15, Tate, 13, and daughter Tia, 10, with his late wife Rebecca Ellison and 10-month-old Cree with wife Kate Ferdinand.
He explained: ‘It’s been a mad week, it’s Halloween and when you’ve got young kids it’s one of the biggest weeks of the year. The kids want to go out and do stuff, knocking on people’s houses, trick or treating.
‘Getting dressed up in the costumes, we had baby’s first Halloween, we were doing something already for that. That busy week I managed to do my back.
‘It was the worst pain I’ve ever had in my life. I can’t even put it into words to describe it, excrutiating pain. I ended up going to hospital in a wheel chair, I was in hospital for four days on morphine – I was in a bad way. I shed a tear at one point.
Earlier this week, Rio shared a picture of himself dressed as the Grim Reaper being pushed in a wheelchair by his wife Kate, who channeled Cruella De Vil.
Out of action: Earlier this week, Rio shared a picture of himself dressed as the Grim Reaper being pushed in a wheelchair by his wife Kate, who channeled Cruella De Vil
He explained: ‘I came out in a wheelchair, all those Halloween pictures on Instagram, you’ve got to dedicate yourself to the family and get dressed up still. Which was key.
‘Get through that pain barrier and do it for the kids.’
Rio went on to discuss how the back pain began during his football career around aged 30, when he played the second most games ever in a season in 2008.
He said: ‘It took me back to when I played, anyone who played with me – from when I hit 30 I started getting quite chronic backpain.
‘After the game I’d get home and have to unfold myself from the car and I’d be walking at a 90 degree angle with my head nearer to the floor than the sky.
On the mend: The former professional footballer, 42, explained during the Vibe With Five podcast that the injury was ‘worst pain he had ever had’ and he even cried at one point
‘That’s the year [2008] I played the most games, that’s when they first started to appear, the cracks in my back, I searched high and low across Europe to find a solution. I wanted to know what it is.
‘The worst part is, with a broken leg people will be able to tell you how long it’ll take. But with a back they can’t tell you. You don’t know where the problem comes from.
‘When it’s going to appear. It leaves you on edge the whole time. That’s where I was for years. The lads used to laugh and I’d be on all sorts of medication after a game. This type of episode hasn’t happened since I retired.’
Detailing times where he has recently suffered from the pain, Rio said: ‘A couple of times it would last 24hours but this time I wondered if I’d ever feel normal again. I’ve got to go to the gym to manage it.
Family man: During his appearance on the show, Rio told how he pushed through the pain to be able to celebrate Halloween with his family
‘Maybe I should have curtailed my international career, but sometimes your ego takes over and you think “I can still do it”.
Rio first revealed his ‘mystery’ ailment by sharing a picture from his hospital bed while watching Manchester United get thrashed 5-0 by Liverpool.
The football legend then took to Instagram during the festivities to share a snap showing him alongside his wife Kate and three of his four children, while detailing his determination to dress up despite his injury.
The gang: Not letting injury stop his Halloween fun, he took to Instagram to share the snap showing him with Kate and then another shot with Cree in his lap and Tia and one of the sons flanking him on either side
He penned a caption reading: ‘Happy Halloween. Been in hospital all week, promised the kids I’d dress up….even if it was for an hour & in a wheel chair.’
The #Man U ace tweeted a snap from a hospital bed as he watched the match. The star did not disclose details of the medical issue.
He wrote: ‘This 60 mins have sent me to A&E… FFS.’
Get well soon: Last Sunday, Rio revealed he was in A&E – as he watched Manchester United’s shock 5-0 defeat to Liverpool. The #Man U ace tweeted a snap from a hospital bed as he watched the match. The star did not disclose details of the medical issue
The TV pundit also shared the same snap to his Instagram stories, with the caption: ‘Sat in A&E watching this… FFS’.
Ronaldo and co were thrashed 5-0 by their bitter rivals Liverpool on Sunday with Mo Salah scoring a hat-trick at the home of Liverpool’s fiercest rivals, while Naby Keita and Diogo Jota also struck in the first-half.
After half-time, Ronaldo did put the ball in the net but his strike was chalked off for offside. Paul Pogba was also sent off for a high and dangerous tackle on Keita, which saw Anthony Taylor produce a red card after consulting the VAR pitchside monitor.
Taking to Instagram after the game, Ronaldo said: ‘Sometimes the result is not the one we fight for. Sometimes the score is not the one we want.
Football: The star also tweeted a message as he watched the match from hospital
‘And this is on us, only on us, because there’s no one else to blame. Our fans were, once again, amazing in their constant support.
‘They deserve better than this, much better, and it’s up to us to deliver. The time is now!’
The shock victory also saw Manchester United fans leaving Old Trafford en-masse at half-time.
Devastating: Ronaldo and co were thrashed 5-0 by their bitter rivals Liverpool on Sunday with Mo Salah scoring a hat-trick at the home of Liverpool’s fiercest rivals