Chelsea skipper Terry faces long lay-off due to injury

English champions Chelsea face a long spell without their skipper John Terry, after the Englishman revealed he was forced to take a break following a leg injury.

Terry, who sat out of the 3-0 defeat by Sunderland during the weekend, has been battling an injury for a long time but said his condition worsened during the midweek game against Fulham when he stretched for the ball.

He told the Daily Mail, I have been struggling with a nerve pain coming from the top of my leg down to my hamstring and to the outside of my calf. It started towards the end of last season but with Chelsea being in the mix until the day of the FA Cup final, I didn't have the chance to rest or pull out of games. Then I went straight to the World Cup with England.

I had three weeks rest after that and thought I would come back without it, but since then it has got worse and worse. It has been manageable up until the last two weeks but when we played Fulham, I stretched to win the ball against Clint Dempsey and it got a lot worse. It is at a point where I can't carry on with it. I used to be able to make it through games because the adrenaline gets going and you blank the pain out, but now there really is no decision to make.

After games I am in agony and not sleeping at all. I used to play with pain at seven out of 10. Now? It's 10 out of 10. I need to take a few weeks rest, see a couple of specialists and solve the problem, he said.

Reportedly, Terry is set to attend a meeting at Cobham, Chelsea's training ground, during the day to discuss the future course of action. He may fly out to Italy at the end of the week to consult a specialist. However, Terry revealed he has been consulting many medical practioners over the matter.

Basically, I am trying whatever is suggested. I'm at my wits' end. I know I won't play on Saturday against Birmingham City, but beyond that there are no clues. It could be weeks, it could be months. Everybody is coming up with different names and I've said I will go anywhere if someone can solve the problem. The pain is dreadful and it can come on when I am driving, when I am having dinner, even in bed.

People are saying it could be my posture, but nobody really knows. Every time I jog or warm up, I don't feel right. It has been that way for a while, but this is different now. Other players have recommended guys, and I've seen a couple already, but it is just a question of finding one who can solve the problem, he said.

Terry's injury is the latest blow to the English champions, who have been without the services of key players such as Frank Lampard, Michael Essien and Alex for some fixtures this season while Didier Drogba has not fully recovered from malaria. Chelsea face a tough trip to Birmingham in the weekend and with fixtures coming thick and fast, they'll be hopeful their best players can return soon.