Ian Burns has been stuck in bed for two weeks and has missed a string of crucial matches after suffering a back injury on a fairground ride.
The world number 74 had some encouraging results early in the season, including topping his Championship League group with three wins from three.
Then an unexpected problem arose after a trip to a local fair that has done serious damage to his back and his season.
He played through the pain in his second Championship League group but after aggravating the injury further he was stuck in bed while qualifiers for three events were played.
The 41-year-old was forced out of his games in the Shenzhen Open, British Open and English Open, wrecking an early part of the season.
‘It’s been a tough one,’ Burns told Metro. ‘I’ve had back injuries before but this has been the worst.
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‘I went on a fairground ride and the carriage just jolted and I felt something in the bottom of my back.
‘It’s in my local village, every year they have a carnival day, so we always take the kids. I just went on a ride with them, it was called The Sizzler.
‘Like I said, I’ve had back injuries before, a slipped disc or a bulging disc in the bottom of your spine, and I felt something go.’
If the fairground ride wasn’t innocuous enough to cause serious pain, the way Burns aggravated the problem was even more so.
‘It was slowly getting better. It was during the World Cup, so I went to a beer garden to watch England play Argentina,’ said the Preston cueman.
‘I was sat on a wooden bench and my back just didn’t feel very good at all. The day after all the muscles had clamped around my spine, and I literally couldn’t walk. Any movement was excruciating pain.
‘I tried to sort of walk leaning over to one side, but I saw a physio and he told me to stay in bed. It’s been two weeks today that I’ve just been in bed. It’s been a nightmare. Honestly, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
‘I’m sure anyone doesn’t mind a day lying in bed. But when you’ve had 14 days, there’s only so much you can take, there’s only so many things you can watch. That first week, I literally couldn’t even sit up. I was just constantly lying down for a week.
‘I’m slowly getting better every day. I’ve been downstairs this morning, so I’ve had 15 minutes on my feet, and then it starts aching again, so I’m laying on the bed again.’
Alongside the physical pain and boredom there is the mental anguish that he is losing out on prize money and ranking points while being laid up.
The professional calendar has changed this season and there are more blocks of qualifying events together, which Burns feels should not be the case, given what he is going through.
‘It’s frustrating missing three qualifiers. Every pound, every point counts on the rankings. It’s going to make a massive difference towards the end of the season,’ he said, as he fights to retain his professional status this season.
‘Maybe I’m only saying this because of what has happened this week, but you can’t have block qualifiers. You can’t.
‘If they’re not in a block, then I’ve probably only missed one event, then you can stomach it. But I’ve now missed the new China event, the British Open and English Open.’
Alongside playing, Burns works as a coach, but that sideline has also had to take a backseat due to his injury.
‘I’ve had to cancel so much coaching,’ he said. ‘I’ve no idea when I’m going to be available. So that’s been another frustrating thing.’
On a more positive note, Burns has been doing impressive work on his social media accounts and boosting his coaching business.
Somewhat unexpectedly, that has led to a snooker store with a global reach and online coaching with similarly far-flung clients.
‘I’ve got my YouTube channel and I post a lot on Instagram and it really has generated a lot more coaching. Everything has progressed from there,’ he explained.
‘I think you have to get to so many subscribers and watch hours on YouTube and then you’re eligible for different perks. I was eligible to have an online shop and you can link your products in your videos
‘I started talking to suppliers about where to get cues and cases and things and it built from there.
‘I’ve sent cues and cases all around the world. You can’t believe where people have bought things from. I’ve sent cues to somebody in Fiji and in the Bahamas.
‘I’m doing online coaching sessions with a chap who lives in Mauritius. He has a table in his house. But obviously I’ve not been able to get on to him recently just because of this issue, it’s all taken a backseat. The whole thing has just been so frustrating.’
Burns hopes to be back in action for the next block of qualifiers in mid-September for the Northern Ireland Open, International Championship and Scottish Open.