SCHLAVA

Member
Jan 12, 2001
196
0
Pulled this from cycle news!

Watts Update
As you probably know, former GNCC champ Shane Watts has been recovering from a serious pre-season wrist injury. We published an update in our GNCC coverage in this week's issue, but here's a first-person version Watts himself recently sent us:

Hey there, everyone; how's it going? Sorry I've been laying a bit low lately, but I've been trying to sort out my health and have had some serious recovering to do. Even though I'm all smiles at the moment despite everything that's happened, it has been a little hard to take. Here's what happened:

Obviously, I broke my left wrist at that supercross race in Australia at the start of February - broke the end off the ulna bone, so after seven weeks, that was healed, yet I was still having trouble with my wrist not operating and being painful when I tried to ride. Went back to the specialist in Florida several times to get more X-rays and was continually told that I had carpal tunnel syndrome and needed to rest the wrist for some months in order for it to heal.

Well now, got back to Cleveland at the start of June, and I still wasn't happy with my wrist progress, so I went to the Cleveland Clinic on June 6 for another opinion. The specialist there diagnosed that in my original crash I had also suffered a dislocated lunate bone in my wrist, which was pushing down on the nerves and tendons and giving me the carpal tunnel symptons.

I was supposed to have an operation to correct this lunate bone on Tuesday, June 18, but last week whilst attending a photo shoot for my clothing sponsor, I had small crash with major cosequences. I was thrown over the handlebars and was consequently landed on by the bike. Not only was another small bone broken in my left hand, but I also suffered a broken vertebra in my back and some internal injuries like severly bruised lungs and chest. Thus, my wrist operation was postponed until June 25, and the surgeon predicts that I'll be looking at a recovery period of up to three months.

So that sums up my life in recent times. I hope that you all have had a better run of luck than what I have. One thing about it all, though, is that I can't wait to get healed up and back the bike and start winning races soon.

Catch you later,

Wattsy
 

jimicarl

Member
Aug 7, 2001
102
0
Well that's just to damn bad. Sorry to see anybody get hurt that badly. We were really hoping to see Shane again for the Shilo Inns Funky Chicken AMA National Hare Scramble, here in Oregon this year. He won the race last year, and enjoyed his time here. We'll miss him, & hope he'll be up-to-snuff & able to come ride again next year (even if it's just to have some good fun).

HEY SHANE!! Hope you heal up well! If you're feeling up to it..., you're welcome to come along anyway & help with the outcheck!
 
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