TORN LIGAMENT: SURGERY THIS THURSDAY
Stefan Bradl is forced to sit out this weekend’s French round in Magny-Cours due to his wrist injury.
Stefan Bradl’s crash during race one at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve close to Portimao has more serious consequences than expected. The injury was complicated from the beginning. It was only after a series of examinations that a crack could be diagnosed on the scapholunate ligament (SL) on his right wrist. To avoid long-term effects, a surgery is indispensable.
For the 27-year-old Honda rider, this message come doubly bitter because until the crash, Bradl saw himself and his Fireblade in an upturn in Portugal following a very difficult season. Bradl qualified for eighth spot on the starting grid and was able to race amongst the top riders in the first group.
#6 Stefan BRADL (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team, Honda CBR1000RR SP2):
“Of course, these are very disappointing news. After the crash in Portimao on Saturday, the scans did not show any signs of injury. But on Sunday morning, the pain was very strong. After my return from Portugal I made further examinations and got different opinions from several doctors to finally find out what is wrong with my wrist. Finally, a crack was diagnosed on the scapholunate ligament. A further MRI scan and a computer tomography were made at the Augsburg Clinic yesterday morning. The CT showed that the lunate bone and the scaphoid have been parted by 3 millimetres from each other. Under normal circumstances, there should be no clearance because both bones are fixed together by this ligament. This is why an operation is indispensable, otherwise it would lead to possible long-term effects. For the moment, the situation looks like the ligament is not completely torn but whether it is to be replaced or it can be repaired, this will be shown by the operation. By the way, Dr. Krischak in Augsburg will do the surgery this Thursday and then the doctors can seriously assess which rehabilitation is needed and how long it will take time to recover. Unfortunately, this means that I will miss this weekend’s round in Magny-Cours. This of course is the next big disappointment but there is no other way because I cannot do anything with my wrist. Beyond that, the pain hardly got less since last Sunday and the mobility is still strongly restricted. Hopefully I’m able to report more pleasantly new towards the end of the week.”