Armstrong gets plate, 12 screws in collarbone
Staff Writer Sarasota Herald-Tribune
In this photo provided by Elizabeth Kreutzer, seven-time Tour de France Champion Lance Armstrong listens to Dr. Douglas Elena before surgery on his broken right collarbone Wednesday in Austin, Texas. Armstrong broke his collarbone in the first stage of the Vuelta of Castillo cycling race in Spain, Monday.
AUSTIN, Texas — His broken collarbone surgically mended, Lance Armstrong is on the clock.
The seven-time Tour de France champion will be back on his bike in days even though the bone may take eight to 12 weeks to fully mend. Armstrong must resume training almost immediately if he’s to meet his goal of racing in the Giro d’Italia, which begins May 9.
The American cyclist also plans to ride in the Tour de France this July.
Surgeon Doug inserted a stainless steel plate and 12 screws to stabilize the broken collarbone on Wednesday, two days after Armstrong crashed in the first stage of the Vuelta of Castilla and Leon race in northern Spain.
“Lance is going to be a patient who is going to push the envelope,” Elenz said. “This first week we’re going to make Lance take it easy … ask Lance not to do a whole lot.”
After taking a few days off, Armstrong will be allowed to ride a stationary bike. Then doctors will monitor his arm strength, range of motion in his shoulder, as well as his pain, to decide what kind of training he can do. Doctors don’t want him to strain his upper body in any way for a while.
“howdy folks. Made it thru. Took longer than we thought. Playing with my kids right. Making me feel A LOT better,” he wrote.
Although doctors initially thought it was a simple fracture, Elenz said X-rays showed it was broken in four pieces.
Rating the three-hour surgery on a scale of one to 10, from easiest to most difficult, he called Armstrong’s procedure an 8.
Elenz said the 12 screws were more than he might normally use, but he felt they were needed knowing Armstrong’s goals. The surgery to stabilize the bone required about a 5-inch incision and the steel plate measures about the same length, said Elenz, who added it’s likely doctors will someday remove the plate.
Armstrong, who has a home in Aspen, Colo., returned to elite cycling this year after a 3-year layoff. When he announced his comeback last September, the cancer survivor said his primary goal was to spread his Livestrong message as he raced around the world.
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