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Surgery on the two shoulders of Kilian Jornet
Dr. Pere Mir
Teknon Clinic, Barcelona
Kilian Jornet (@ kilianj) has been operated on both shoulders by a recurrent dislocation of both shoulders. A diagnosis that lets you compete but that is a problem in those sports that have risks of falls (trail, ultratrail, …) or need the upper limbs (climbing, mountaineering, …), since in any of these activities you can dislocate your shoulder. The injury started as a result of a fall skiing for years and was repeated intermittently presenting some dislocations (the shoulder moves out and need help to re-enter) and multiple subluxations (the same person can reduce it).
The last dislocation occurred in July 2017. Kilian had just returned to climb Everest twice in 6 days (27-05-2017) and won the Montblanc Marathon (06-25-2017). The Hardrock100 (14-07-2017) is an ultraresistance (160 km) in Colorado (USA) that won (for the fourth time in a row) after a dislocation in the middle of the race and running with the arm useless for more than 100 km, renewing its bandage in every control by medical assistance.
That day he decided to give a solution to the problem that has come now in October 2017. Having climbed twice to Everest with shoulder instability means adding more risks (of all kinds) to those who already have the own ascent.
Why operate the two shoulders at the same time? The surgery carried out at the Teknon Clinic in Barcelona Clinic (www.clinicateknon.es allowed to reinstall (re-fix the bone) the glenoid labrum that was broken on their shoulders. Surgery on both shoulders at the same time is usually not recommended due to the limitation that leaves the first weeks of immobilization without being able to do basic tasks of the arms (hygiene, food, dressing, …). Both arms have surgery at the same time in those cases where for reasons of time (elite sportsmen), distance (foreigners that are coming to have surgery) or personal circumstances, they are willing to accept these very important limitations the first weeks and you have a person close to you practically all day to be able to help you.Current surgical techniques allow reduce surgical time (knottless technology), surgical aggressiveness (arthroscopy), reduce complications (smaller and more stable anchors) and being able to begin rehabilitation in the immediate post-surgery (first week). These types of surgeries do not completely discard the recurrence that usually appears with new traumatisms (falls) and that according to the published series is between 2% and 18%.
Killian Jornet i Joe Grant a HR100. Foto: Salomon Running, Philipp Reiter.
The recovery time depends on the sport that is practiced The rehabilitation is focused on recovering joint mobility, recovering the muscles, strengthening the anterior stabilizers shoulder (subscapular and major pectoralis) and recovering self-propioception (most affected when the lesion was longer).The rehabilitation of these processes is extended between 3 and 4 months. In sports with a specific use of the shoulders (handball, basketball, baseball, rugby, …) the sports re-entry is postponed until 5 months. In the case of sports such as Kilian, it can be advanced depending on the evolution of the rehabilitation and starting with activities that are less demanding for the shoulders.For Kilian to operate is no longer a matter of being able to compete better or worse, it is a matter of personal security due to the great complexity of the challenges he assumes (‘Summits of my life’, www.summitsofmylife.com). Especially in recent years in its transition from the trail to climbing, activity that presents increased risks. We wish a full recovery for the international champion!
Dr. Pere Mir
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Molt gran el Kilian guanyant la cursa amb el braç trencat!!!
És el millor!!!
Reply →Bona tarda Doctor,
Reply →Estic en una situació similar. Creu que es millor operar les dues espatlles a la vegada, perque jo m´ho volia fer per separat? Gracies pel seu comentaris
in reply to Carles Vilobi
Crec q depen de moltes coses: activitat professional, temps q es disposa per recuperar-se, recolçament familiar, risc anestesic, antecedents, …, però en general recomanaria operar les dues espatlles per separat.
Reply →in reply to Carles Vilobi
Crec q depen de moltes coses: activitat professional, temps q es disposa per recuperar-se, recolçament familiar, risc anestesic, antecedents, …, però en general recomanaria operar les dues espatlles per separat.
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