Rio Ferdinand Reveals He's Forced to Use Wheelchair Because of 'Mad' Pain

Rio Ferdinand has opened up on how using "tablets and injections for six years to play games" during his playing career has affected him.

The former West Ham, Leeds and Manchester United defender, who made over 700 career appearances across a 20-year period, was sidelined on multiple occasions with back problems, especially towards the end of his career.

In fact, he previously admitted that he hid the extent of his back problem from former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, although he did miss 15 matches during the 2009/10 campaign with back problems.

"The day after a game I would waddle into the club like a duck, bent over like an old hunchback," he said in 2010. "I would be hobbling around, unable to train for four or five days. I would be OK to play the next game, but I must have missed 60-70% of training."

Ferdinand received spinal injections to tackle the problem but those lingering back issues persisted towards the end of his career, when he struggled at Queens Park Rangers before announcing his retirement.

Rio Ferdinand is a regular fixture on our screens. Image credit: Getty

More than a decade after hanging up his boots and the former England international has given an insight into those injuries, and how they have impacted his everyday life, in a candid interview with Men's Health.

Here, Ferdinand revealed that he has to use a wheelchair because of back pain.

"I’ve had a bad back for a long time," he said. "I’ve got injuries that I had from my career. I was on tablets and injections for six years to play games. That’s affected me.

"I get some bad moments of back pain where I have to be in a hospital for a couple of days or in a wheelchair for a couple of days. It’s mad, but it just comes out of nowhere.

Since I’ve been in Dubai, I’ve been seeing a physio for the first time since I retired. He’s been doing loads of manipulations and whatnot, and within his building there’s also my personal trainer, so he feeds him information about my training.

"There’s a holistic approach to what I’m doing now and hopefully that’s going to put me in good stead. Rather than fixing when it’s broken, you actually prevent [injuries]."

Ferdinand has struggled with back problems. Image credit: Getty

Ferdinand also touched on how important his lifestyle is as he continues to set an example to his kids.

"I’ve got kids that need to see a work ethic," he added. "My kids need to see me getting up and going to work. They need to see me and [my wife] Kate going to the gym.

"I want them to have a healthy lifestyle and to think that going to the gym or just moving is the norm. And I’m not about telling my kids that; they need to see it. But also, if I’m being honest, I have to go to work for my mental sanity as well. I like work; my mum and dad worked.

"They were grafters. That’s all I’ve known. When my kids talk about me, as much as it is, yeah, 'Daddy loves me' and 'Daddy’s done everything for me.' It’s 'Daddy worked hard. He was a hustler.' You know what I mean?"