BEN CURTIS has revealed the excruciating lengths he is going to – just so he can wear shoes again without being in ‘constant pain’.
The top Flat jockey said his limits were tested ‘to the max’ as he went under the knife in hospital.
Curtis had shoulder surgery – delayed six weeks due to Covid restrictions – earlier this month.
But he was back in front of docs last night for a procedure on his feet.
Curtis detailed the pain he had been through in a post on Twitter, while including a photo of his toes apparently undergoing acupuncture.
The jockey, who has earnings of more than £1.4million from his rides this season, wrote: “I do believe at this stage I am able to take operations and the pain that comes with them in my stride.
“This operation certainly tested that to the max.
“I spent the night not able to keep anything down, in a high level of pain.
“I am thankfully much better this morning and am lucky enough to have a wife who stayed up with me all through the night.
“Although it doesn’t look like it, my feet are one step closer to being able to play football with the kids, get back to the job I love and just wear a pair of shoes without the constant pain I had been enduring.
“So many things I will no longer take for granted.”
Curtis posted two photos of his heavily bandaged feet with pins stuck in six of his toes.
His rival jockey Richard Kingscote was one of those to reply, using a sick face emoji with the message: “Good luck fella.”
Curtis last rode in October and was hoping to be back in the saddle by February.
But the delay to his shoulder op – needed after he dislocated it in a fall at Newcastle last year – pushed back that timescale.
Now a return for the turf season in March is more realistic.
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