PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
Pramac Ducati’s Ben Spies had surgery today on both shoulders as it was diagnosed that the injury suffered to his left shoulder in Indianapolis last weekend was worse than originally believed.
The diagnosis after Spies’ crash in Free Practice for the Red Bull Indy Grand Prix was a third degree separation of his left shoulder – the opposite shoulder to the one that has kept him out of action for the majority of the 2013 season
After seeing his doctor in Dallas, it was determined that it was a grade-five separation and the decision was made to have surgery, according to Ben’s mother Mary. Since it was already agreed upon by both his doctor in Dallas and Ducati’s doctors that he should go in and have his right shoulder scoped for debris and/or scar tissue, they opted to go in and do it all at once. The surgery was performed by Dallas Cowboy head physician Dr. Daniel Cooper.
Two hours later the World Superbike and three-time AMA Superbike Champion was awake and sitting up in the North Central Surgical Hospital in Dallas with ice on both shoulders.
His recovery time is unknown at this point, but according to a medical expert the time frame for recovery from such a surgery is six to 12 weeks. Most believe that considering the year he’s had so far, it’s likely that Spies won’t return until he’s 100 percent healthy.
Spies also suffered a ligament sprain in his hand in the Indy crash.
