Olympian reveals infection which made leg like 'playdough'. Viral video horrifies internet

Lawrence Okoye said the edema or the swelling came about because of a bacterial infection called cellulitis. (Image credit: fullheartedpush/Instagram)

British Olympian and football player Lawrence Okoye recently revealed that he had a condition which causes his skin to sink in and form a dent when pressed. A video of him demonstrating his skin’s reaction has shocked the internet.

“Looks like a normal leg, right? Watch this,” Okoye said in a video posted on Instagram and TikTok, where he shows his right leg.

He then goes on press his leg with his thumb. Each spot on his leg which was pressed was left with a dent for several seconds.

“It’s like it’s made of playdough,” Okoye, 31, says.

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A post shared by Lawrence Okoye (@fullheartedpush)

People who watched the video asked the athlete what had happened with him. Okoye said the edema or the swelling came about because of a bacterial infection called cellulitis.

He caught the infection after hitting his leg on a piece of metal. The wound eventually got infected, causing swollen legs.

Okoye’s video on Instagram, posted last November, has over five million views. His TikTok clip over 8.5 million views.

Cellulitis, if untreated, can spread and cause serious health problems.

Risk factors for getting cellulitis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), include injuries that cause a break in the skin (like cuts, ulcers, bites, puncture wounds, tattoos, piercings, chronic skin conditions (like athlete’s foot and eczema), chickenpox and shingles, and injection drug use.

Lawrence Okoye competed in discus in the 2012 Summer Olympics, reaching the final with a throw of 65.28m. In the final, he finished in twelfth place.