Former world darts champion unable to walk for ‘four or five days straight’ with health scare as he skips tournament

Michael Smith has revealed he has been left unable to walk properly for “four or five days straight” due to ongoing ankle problems.

The former world champion has withdrawn from this weekend’s International Darts Open in Riesa in order to finally undergo cortisone injections after battling persistent swelling and pain.

The 35-year-old, who has previously spoken openly about his struggles with arthritis and recurring injuries, admitted he was “gutted” to miss the European Tour event after another difficult spell on the circuit.

The St Helens star endured a disappointing week after failing to qualify for both the Slovakian Darts Open and the European Darts Open on Wednesday.

He also suffered first-round exits at Players Championship 17 and 18 during the latest ProTour double-header.

Smith explained the extent of the issue in a post on social media.

He wrote: “Since I played ProTours in Milton Keynes and made the final my ankles haven’t been in a great place with constant swelling and being unable to walk for four/five days straight.

“Then after spending nine days in Germany, three flights and 13 hours on a train the problems have arisen again and to top it off an eye infection thrown in.

“So having cancelled my appointments twice for my cortisone injections I’ve decided I can’t cancel a third time as it really needs sorting.

“So I’m gutted to be saying I won’t be playing in Riesa this weekend so I can get to my appointment Friday and hopefully sort it out.”

Despite his injury struggles, the world No31 has still shown flashes of top form this season.

Smith reached the final of Players Championship 11 and also made two European Tour quarter-finals, although he has yet to make a deep televised run beyond reaching the fifth round of the UK Open.

His latest defeat came earlier this week when he narrowly lost to Alexander Merkx at Players Championship 18.