MotoGP: Iker Lecuona and Jack Miller undergo arm pump surgery
Iker Lecuona and Jack Miller have undergone arm pump surgery.
Iker Lecuona and Jack Miller have undergone surgery for arm pump following the doubleheader of races in Qatar. Before round two at Doha Iker Lecuona’s forearm was reported to be the size of a balloon which caused him much discomfort. Jack Miller confirmed in a statement that it was successful saying, “It was a short operation, and it went very well. I can’t wait to start the rehabilitation. There are still ten days left before the next Grand Prix at Portimão. If my recovery proceeds normally, I’ll be able to be back on track in Portugal, even if not completely at my 100% fitness. I want to thank Dr Mir and all his team of the Dexeus Hospital for their availability and all the care they have given me.”
Now, you may be wondering, what is arm pump? Good question, arm pump is an injury related to the overuse of a muscle instead of an injury that could be suffered in a crash. Many riders have undergone surgery for this including but not limited to Dani Pedrosa, Fabio Quartararo, Stefan Bradl and Cal Crutchlow, the injury is incredibly common in MotoGP and also in motocross where the riders are expected to put a lot of forces and trauma through their forearms.
The medical term for arm pump is Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome and sufferers of the syndrome will suffer major issues and pain whilst riding motorcycles and exerting pressure through their forearms when braking, manoeuvring the bike and accelerating.
Arm pump will affect blood flow inside of the muscle and cause the oxygen levels to drop, the blood vessels in the forearms will be restricted and will stop blood from leaving the affected muscle whilst the heart continues to pump blood into the muscle which is why Iker Lecuona’s forearms were so huge, it can also mean that the muscles become incredibly weak and even numb which is not what you want when riding a 300hp MotoGP bike.
The way this is treated is with keyhole surgery, a slit will be made on the Fascia membrane which will remove some pressure and help to improve the blood flow around the muscle allowing the rider to once again regain full strength. Unfortunately, this is not a permanent fix with many riders returning to the operating table in the future for repeat surgeries to relieve the pressure once again.
Featured image – KTM Media / Polarity Photo
