virgivaughn: Season Over For Ben Spies: Shoulder Surgery Means 10-Week Layoff

Ben Spies is set to miss the remainder of the 2012 MotoGP season. The damage done to Spies' shoulder in the highside he suffered at Sepang was worse than expected, and required much more repair work than was at first anticipated. Spies damaged the ligaments in the anatomical structure which connects the collarbone to the scapula (or shoulder blade), requiring more extensive repairs, including adding tissue to strengthen the ligaments that were torn.

The good news for Ben Spies is that his shoulder should be stronger when he returns to full fitness than before the crash, as the surgery also removed a plate Spies had had fitted previously, and removed some existing looseness in the joint, Spies' mother Mary told Cycle World. The bad news is that there is a 10-week recovery period, with Spies forced to spend that period with his arm in a sling to immobilize his shoulder. The long recovery period means that Spies will be forced to miss the last two races of the season, as well as the first MotoGP test of the 2013 season at Valencia, where he is scheduled to make his debut on the Ducati junior team run by Pramac.

Source:

http://www.cycleworld.com/2012/10/24/ben-spies-has-successful-shoulder-s...