'One of the worst breaks he'd seen' - Rawlinson on the mend after two operations

Jockey Alistair Rawlinson is back home and recovering after a second operation on his ankle the operating surgeon described as one of the worst he had seen.

Rawlinson suffered a dislocated and broken ankle, as well as four broken ribs and damaged his hip when Diligent Lady suffered a fatal fall in a 5f handicap at Windsor earlier this month.

A second operation was needed to fix the extensive damage and Rawlinson has been told his leg will have to remain non-weightbearing until a July 29 check-up at the earliest.

"We've a leg in the air and I'm bed-bound until my first check-up on July 1, but it's good to be home," he said. "Hopefully we're on the mend from here.

"Once we came off everything seemed to be going the right way until they realised how bad the break was. They had to let everything settle for a week and then the specialist came in to do my ankle and once he'd done it he said it was one of the worst breaks he'd seen of an ankle, so we'd done a reasonable job of it.

Alistair Rawlinson: rider still on the sidelinesCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

"Nobody's ever said it'll stop me doing anything, which is a blessing, so we'll stay positive. Even though it was a bad break he was happy with the work he's done and they've tried their best. They explained it to me as if you saw my ankle as a six-sided dice cube, they had to make incisions into five sides of that dice.

"They've put more of the platework down the outside of my left leg, there was a bit chipped off the front of my foot and the inside was the worst as a lot of it had turned to mush, so that's where they put wires in to rebuild it and then they put something in the back, and where the shinbone comes into the ankle they put a bolt across the bottom of the fibula to stabilise it. I've a bruise all the way up to the end of my knee. We gave it a good smash basically.

"The range of movement can get up to maybe 70 per cent they reckon, it won't be the same as my right ankle but it shouldn't stop me from doing what I want to do."

Rawlinson, who will visit the Sir Peter O'Sullevan House in Newmarket when he is able, added: "The first couple of days I was in a good lot of pain, I really was, but it's started to subside so we're a lot more comfortable and my little boy keeps coming to look after me and the wife's been amazing. They've really boosted me up and I'm so glad to have them around and be out of hospital.

"Everyone in the racing community has been brilliant, trainers still ring me, I spoke to Carl Llewellyn today and got some good advice from him. It's a couple of weeks ago now so it's a massive boost to know people are still thinking of me and there for support if I need them.

"It'll be six to eight weeks non-weightbearing and then I can get in a boot. As soon as we can get back on our own two feet we'll be happy. From there I need to do the rehab so I won't put a timescale on it but I'll be back as soon as the body allows me to do what I want to do. We'll stay positive and keep pushing forward."

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