It turns out that James Stewart broke his right wrist (the navicular bone, also known as the scaphoid — here is a link to a medical explanation of the injury and proper treatment) at Round 2 of the AMA Supercross series in Phoenix, probably during his horrific heat race crash. According to an interview I have seen with his team manager Larry Brooks, the scaphoid bone in Stewart’s right wrist was separated and surgery was required to re-join the bone so it could heal properly. There is no firm date for Stewart’s return to action, he will come back “when he is ready”.
You may recall that a wrist injury ended the career of motocross legend Ricky Johnson, and threatened roadracer Casey Stoner just a year ago. An injury to the right wrist (such as Stewart’s or Johnson’s) is the more dangerous wrist injury for a motorcycle racer, because of the strength and range of motion needed to deal with both the throttle and the front brake. Stoner was lucky enough that he injured his left wrist.
The bone Stewart broke does not always heal properly, because blood flow to this area is meager. Given Stewart’s age and fitness level, as well as the skill of his renowned doctor Ting, we would hope his prognosis is quite good for a full recovery. Take a look at the press release from Stewart’s team on our press release page
here.
