Pro Hayden Wilde revealed more details about his bike crash earlier this month in Japan. Wilde shared for the first time that the crash involved a truck, and listed the specific nature of his injuries. The crash occurred the day after setting a 10km PB at the Asics Tokyo Speed Race in a time of 27: 28.
The New Zealander suffered a punctured lung and six broken ribs, and needed surgery on his left scapula. His injuries were considered career-threatening unless he received specific care immediately. After complicated arrangements, Wilde was flown to Belgium on a medical-emergency flight a week after the crash for a five-hour surgery. The surgery likely saved his career, though his season has suffered a major long-term setback.
Invasive surgery required
Going under the knife left Wilde with a gruesome scar on the left side of his back along his scapula, which he said looks like he’s “been eaten by a shark,” speaking in a Youtube video.
“They were meant to do a little incision just below the armpit. But when they got me flat on the bed, they decided to change the procedure, because they didn’t want to damage the nerves. So they opened it, my scapula, right up. Cut it and opened the skin.”
Having recovered from the surgery, he is now undergoing a 12-to-15-week rehabilitation program to regain movement, strength and control of his injured left shoulder. All the while, he is trying to maintain overall fitness and leg conditioning with some low-impact walking with incline, and leg strength exercises.
Day three post-surgery he was already in the gym rehabbing. He said in that short time he has gone from hardly being able to lift his elbow to lifting it “quite well,” and without significant pain, other than feeling “super tight.” The hardest part, he said, is not being allowed to shower for two weeks as he can’t let water risk an infection at the incision site.
Sharing his journey with fans
“I’ve never had an injury like this before, so it’s a new experience for me” he said.
Wilde has started a Youtube vlog to share the entire rehabilitation process with fans.
“Looking forward to taking you guys through the struggles, but also the highs and the lows. Hopefully we can come back out of it stronger. And looking forward to getting this left win ready to go, and hopefully being on a start line by the end of the year.”
His rehabilitation program also involves advanced therapies including hyperbaric oxygen therapy to improve oxygen saturation and speed up healing. Even with advancements, some basic tasks continue to be challenging. Sitting at a table, trying to cut an open-faced sandwich with his arm in a sling, Wilde struggled and lamented that he was, unfortunately, left-handed.
Sleeping is another issue. With six broken ribs it’s no easy task to sit up and lay down, but thanks to a garden chair his girlfriend got him, he can rest well with minimal incline. Despite the everyday challenges, his physical rehabilitation is progressing.
Stronger every day
Working on shoulder movement with his therapist, he’s experiencing daily, small but significant improvements.
“I think it’s like a confidence thing. You’re not confident to do anything but you just kind of got to do it. And once you do that movement, it’s like, oh, it didn’t hurt, it’s kind of ok. But it’s just getting the confidence back.”
Already, with the help of a specially designed sling, he looking to get back on the bike again soon. In the meantime he mused he may pick up the guitar.
The post Hayden Wilde reveals bike crash that left him looking like he was “eaten by a shark” appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.