A FORMER soldier from Monmouthshire who suffers with a chronic pain disorder has won a silver medal in the Invictus Games.

Lee Matthews, aged 27, from Magor won the silver with the GB wheelchair basketball team at this year's games which are a multi-sport event for wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel and their associated veterans.

The games were created by Prince Harry and the second games which were held earlier this month took place in Orlando, Florida, in which more than 500 competitors from 14 nations took part.

Mr Matthews was in the fourth regiment of the Army Air Corps for eight years and served a six month tour in Afghanistan in 2008.

He also competed in the power lifting competition at the games but narrowly missed out on a medal finishing fourth.

This isn't the first medal Mr Matthews has won as he previously won gold as part of the wheelchair basketball team when the games were held in London in 2014. He said it was an honour to be picked to play in the games after a hard few years following his diagnosis of visceral somatic pain syndrome.

Mr Matthews said he was a healthy soldier until 2010 when he had a routine operation to remove kidney stones. He said since the operation he has suffered with chronic pain muscle spasms due to nerve damage but says doctors can't pinpoint which nerves have been damaged.

Mr Matthews said: "My mobility is affected. I can't walk that far without a walking aid or wheelchair.

"The worst pain is in my left leg and lower left back. The pain spasm are the worst they can happen for five minutes or over an hour - they're sporadic.

"I do take pain medication but it's more of a management it doesn't really get rid of it - I just get through it."

He added: "It was tough couple years for me to accept my diagnosis. It turned my life upside down.'

He said during his rehabilitation he was introduced to wheelchair basketball and fell in love with the sport. He is a forward and also plays for the Cardiff Celts.

Mr Matthews said being a part of the Invictus Games has been a big motivation for him and other injured or ill former and current members of the armed forces.

He said: "It has helped my confidence my self-belief.

"It definitely helped having other people know your story, what you’re going through as they have all been on their own journey - it's good to have that association. You have that camaraderie in the military you leave it behind when you leave but in this environment you get it."