AN AMATEUR footballer - who almost died from what he thought was a minor football injury - wants to raise awareness of the extremely rare condition he was later diagnosed with.

Andy Almond, a former plumber from Southend, was diagnosed with compartment syndrome after he was kicked in the leg during a match in 2014.

Acute compartment syndrome is a medical emergency because the high pressure in the muscle compartment can lead to permanent muscle and nerve damage.

It usually happens after a fracture or crash injury, but can also be caused by severe bruising of a muscle.

After undergoing life-saving surgery and five major operations to his leg, Andy was forced to give up all physical work.

The 27-year-old went on a downward spiral of depression and was later diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and feels there was not enough support or help available. Now, five years on, with the help of meditation and hypnotherapy and reading self-help books, Andy threw himself into his hobby of DJing, and is now working hard towards making a career for himself having worked for community radio stations and now as a resident DJ for one of Southend’s night venues.

He told the Echo: “What happened to me was a very scary experience. I had never been in hospital before in my life, so to be told I needed surgery or I could die or lose my leg was a shock.

“It’s been very hard for me to live with, as people look at me and don’t see that there is anything wrong with me. But due to the nerve damage, I still get pain and it leaves me feeling very tired.

“I also have a huge scar on the whole of my thigh which knocked my confidence for a while. Not being able to do anything for myself for so long made me very depressed and I still get flashbacks of that day.

“The problem is that the condition is so rare and I was told in the hospital that it was a one in a million chance of getting this.

“There is still so little information about the illness.”

As well as getting work as a resident DJ, Andy also recently secured his own event of African and Caribbean cultural music at Talk Nightclub, called Jook So, with fellow DJ friends, Twin C, and J Buss which will start on August 2 and on the first Friday of every month thereafter.