Suzuki Ecstar MotoGP rider Alex Rins was successfully operated on on Thursday morning at the University Hospital Dexeus in Barcelona where they repaired both the ulna and radius displacement and dislocation fractures in the left forearm that he suffered as a result of a serious accident that occurred last Saturday in the FP3 of the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
The 21-year-old Catalan, who was treated by Dr. Austin Hill, orthopedic traumatologist at the University Medical Center Brackenridge, on the same Saturday of the fall to stabilize the fractures, returned to Barcelona on Monday. However, it was not until Thursday when he was able to undergo surgery due to the inflammation that was still more than visible in the left arm.
Rins underwent an operation by Dr. Xavier Mir, Head of the Hand Unit and Coordinator of the MotoGP Traumatology Service, through which the broken bones in the forearm and the wrist were fixed in place by two titanium plates. As a result of the crash, the rider suffered an injury to the ulnar nerve as revealed by Evoked Potentials (neurologic test). This issue will be re-evaluated in a couple of weeks with an electromyography test.
“The surgery went very well according to what Dr. Mir told me,” he said. “I would like to thank him personally for all his care and attention since the fall in Austin last Saturday, him and all his team for care they have given me these days in hospital. The messages I have received through social media have really encouraged me, especially the kindness that has been shown by every member of Team Suzuki. This fills me with the energy and desire to immediately begin my recovery and return to competition as soon as possible.”
Alex will undergo his first treatments next week at the same hospital in Barcelona, while the active rehabilitation will start 10 days later. Doctors will try to accelerate, as much as possible, the recovery process but the timeline for his return to the track is not yet clear, with estimates between six to eight weeks.
