Darts star Michael Smith has revealed he is suffering with arthritis in his throwing hand - and explained how it has affected his game in recent months and years.
The St Helens-born dartist, 34, won the World Darts Championship in 2023 and moved up to number one in the Order of Merit for the first time in his career.
Smith had long been known as the nearly man in major events, finishing as a runner-up on eight occasions before defeating Nathan Aspinall 16-5 in legs to win the 2022 Grand Slam of Darts.
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He reached three other finals that year in ranked events, and kicked off his 2023 campaign with the world title followed by success at the Bahrain Darts Masters.
More silverware followed at the German Darts Grand Prix, and Smith reached the semi-finals of that year's Premier League, but a 4-0 fourth-round defeat at the World Darts Championship to Chris Dobey at the beginning of 2024 meant his season ended on a sour note.
The year 2024 as a whole was a nightmare for 'Bully Boy', who won the World Cup with English team-mate Luke Humphries but failed to progress past the semi-finals of any ranking event.
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Smith then lost to qualifier Kevin Doets in the second round at Ally Pally in December - but it was a 3-1 defeat to Danny Noppert in the last 32 of last month's World Darts Masters that brought matters to a head.
Smith posted to his Facebook page that he has been suffering from arthritis to his right hand (his throwing hand) - a problem he has been 'fighting' for 'three to four years'.
He explained: "I broke both my wrists when I was 19 and now it's catching up with me and now suffering with arthritis to my right hand.
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"What this statement means is this is me opening up and letting you all know. I didn't say earlier as I was scared of losing the Premier League or the World Series [not being selected to play in either] but I wasn't picked anyway so why not now."
Smith added that he was due to see a specialist this week to assess his arthritis, which causes pain and inflammation in a joint.
He also revealed that he had been suffering with a 'grade two AC [acromioclavicular] shoulder injury', and had been visiting a physio for two to three days a week.
Now, speaking on Sky Sports News, the one-time world champion has candidly opened up on how exactly the arthritis condition started and how it affects him both on and off the oche.
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He said: "I've had it for a few years now. It was always when it was winter, when it was minus [temperatures] - I thought it was just the cold affecting it.
"But it just keeps getting worse and worse. My wrist has started swelling up, and there's constant pain where I can't bend it. It is getting a bit difficult.
"The specialist said I was restricted a bit with my right wrist, so it wasn't bending as much as it should. I've got an MRI scan and we can go from there and see how it is.
"It doesn't affect the amount of practice but I have to split it up. Normally I'd do four to five hours straight, with no stops. Now I've got to do maybe 20 minutes with a five-minute stop, then half an hour with a 10-minute stop.
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"It's just a lot of painkillers, but hopefully the medical team can figure it out. If it's a PRP injection or cortisone, I don't know yet.
"Since Christmas Day I've not been able to function my shoulder probably. That's my fault, that. I've got a grade two joint in my shoulder that's popping out.
"The biggest thing now is being left out of the Premier League - that's the kick up the backside I needed. I took time away because I'd lost two of the finals [World Championship] previously and just wanted to enjoy myself as a world champion. I think that's been a hindrance now, so it's time to work hard again and get back to where I belong."
Topics: Darts, Premier League
Ryan Smart