What specifically were RJ’s wrist/hand injuries from Gatorback?

CG118
Profile picture for user CG118
Posts
628
Joined
6/27/2014
Location
Kennesaw, GA US
CG118
Edited Date/Time 2/17/2018 2:30pm
I didn’t want to derail the Roczen hand injury thread.
Don’t want a fight or discussion about Roczen.

But I want to know, and have always wondered, what exactly were the injuries to RJ’s hand/wrist?
|
line-up
Profile picture for user line-up
Posts
1361
Joined
2/1/2010
Location
US
line-up 2/17/2018 9:32am
2/17/2018 9:32am
https://www.dirtrider.com/features/online-exclusives/141_1201_ricky_joh…

"Right wrist "Both my wrists have been broken. My right wrist was way worse. In practice in 1989 at the Gainesville national I passed Danny Storbeck and kind of scrubbed a jump to stay low; he jumped high. His front wheel hit me in the back of the arm and shoved my arm bones up into my hand. It was hot, burning, but it didn't feel broken. I looked down. I knew I was screwed. My glove was half ripped off, and it looked like someone took my hand off and set it on the side of my arm. About a year and a half after that it got to where I couldn't ride anymore . It was starting to lock up on me; my hand would involuntarily let go. I came back and won that Gainesville national a year later, but I had minimal success. I was close but never the same."
ML512
Profile picture for user ML512
Posts
15458
Joined
12/28/2008
Location
Wildomar, CA US
Fantasy
45th
ML512 2/17/2018 9:32am
2/17/2018 9:32am
Broke his right Navicular fairly badly...to the point he tried a thumb throttle and a left side twist throttle as his wrist motion and support was so poor after the injury and eventual fusion.
kkawboy14
Profile picture for user kkawboy14
Posts
11494
Joined
6/5/2015
Location
TX US
kkawboy14 2/17/2018 9:35am
2/17/2018 9:35am
If I remember correctly RJ had a lot of pain in the wrist right where the thumb wrist forearm connected.
Seems like Roczen has the same break Herlings had but could have a lot more stretched out parts.

The Shop

See All »
hamncheeze
Profile picture for user hamncheeze
Posts
2428
Joined
1/13/2018
Location
British Columbia CA
hamncheeze 2/17/2018 9:38am
2/17/2018 9:38am
Should be noted that surgical techniques have improved massively since RJ’s day. For example Baggett has one surgically repaired wrist that probably would have driven him out of the sport in the 1980s.
KBOLTZ
Profile picture for user KBOLTZ
Posts
381
Joined
4/24/2016
Location
Tarzana, CA US
KBOLTZ 2/17/2018 9:38am
2/17/2018 9:38am
ML512 wrote:
Broke his right Navicular fairly badly...to the point he tried a thumb throttle and a left side twist throttle as his wrist motion and support was...
Broke his right Navicular fairly badly...to the point he tried a thumb throttle and a left side twist throttle as his wrist motion and support was so poor after the injury and eventual fusion.
Such a shame to have that injury.. lingering pesky things naviculars are.
Motocross Kid 2/17/2018 9:46am
2/17/2018 9:46am
The scaphoid is a bad bone to break because it heals very slowly due to poor blood flow. Most people are too impatient and ride way too soon and never let the bone heal properly. It will eventually become necrotized (dead) like mine did, and require a bone graft. The bone also happens to be in a very unfortunate location for a motocrosser because once it has been broken, it's never quite the same. Mine always hurts.
doghouse
Profile picture for user doghouse
Posts
548
Joined
1/7/2017
Location
Virginia Beach, VA US
doghouse 2/17/2018 11:00am
2/17/2018 11:00am
hamncheeze wrote:
Should be noted that surgical techniques have improved massively since RJ’s day. For example Baggett has one surgically repaired wrist that probably would have driven him...
Should be noted that surgical techniques have improved massively since RJ’s day. For example Baggett has one surgically repaired wrist that probably would have driven him out of the sport in the 1980s.
I don't think this can be overstated. It's a different world these days.
feelnjstfine
Profile picture for user feelnjstfine
Posts
207
Joined
8/9/2009
Location
Portland, OR US
feelnjstfine 2/17/2018 11:23am
2/17/2018 11:23am
Motocross Kid wrote:
The scaphoid is a bad bone to break because it heals very slowly due to poor blood flow. Most people are too impatient and ride way...
The scaphoid is a bad bone to break because it heals very slowly due to poor blood flow. Most people are too impatient and ride way too soon and never let the bone heal properly. It will eventually become necrotized (dead) like mine did, and require a bone graft. The bone also happens to be in a very unfortunate location for a motocrosser because once it has been broken, it's never quite the same. Mine always hurts.
So true. I remember making a comment like "so this is about as bad of a bone to break in your body in terms of long term effects and healing" to my ortho when we were discussing the route I was gonna take with mine. His reply of "that's probably the best way I've heard it described" made the decision easy for me, surgery and a pin it was.
omalley
Profile picture for user omalley
Posts
1528
Joined
7/27/2016
Location
Snohomish, WA US
omalley 2/17/2018 1:51pm
2/17/2018 1:51pm
As I recall, RJ has admitted that he also tried to come back way too soon, and that waiting for it to heal properly would have greatly increased the chances of a lot better outcome.

The tough part of MX is how short (for most) the time at the top is. I would imagine it’s a big gamble between coming back too early vs waiting too long and missing your “window.”
dirtworldmx 2/17/2018 2:30pm
2/17/2018 2:30pm
Sorry no exact details, but it was MUCH worse than just a navicular (scaphoid) break. IIRC, he was coming back and then broke his scaphoid at Daytona...and that pretty much finished him off.

But yeah that is one of the worst to break...I broke mine the same day Denny Stephenson broke his in 1990, and not to compare myself to the champ, but it was all down hill from there for both of us.

Post a reply to: What specifically were RJ’s wrist/hand injuries from Gatorback?