MotoGP: Summer Break Surgeries for Crutchlow & Hayden

With nearly four weeks of rest between the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring and the round at Indianapolis, riders are taking advantage of the break to have surgery. On Tuesday, Cal Crutchlow had surgery to relieve arm pump, and help reduce the swelling in his forearms.

Crutchlow had had swelling in his forearms since crashing at the Sachsenring in 2013, a situation which previous surgery has done little to relieve. Though he posted a picture of himself on Twitter with both arms in bandages on Tuesday, he was fit enough to type several messages on the social media website a day later. Crutchlow is expected to be fully fit and back in action at Indianapolis.

Nicky Hayden has had more invasive surgery. The Aspar rider has been suffering the after effects of his first-corner crash at Valencia 2011 ever since it happened, Hayden breaking a scaphoid in the incident. Further crashes exacerbated the injury, and his wrist became seriously inflamed at Jerez earlier this year.

One operation to clean up the joint earlier in the year provided some relief, but now, Hayden has decided to try a more serious solution. Hayden underwent surgery to have a proximal row carpectomy, which involves removal of the scaphoid, lunate and triquetrum bones.

Hayden had long been suffering arthritic symptoms around his scaphoid, and the scaphoid had failed to heal properly after the crash in Valencia. The PRC procedure should allow for increased mobility and much less pain. Hayden also expects to be fit to ride in Indianapolis.

This article was originally published on MotoMatters, and is republished here on Asphalt & Rubber with permission by the author.