Olympic athlete amputates finger to play in 2024 Paris Games
abcnews.go.com
An Olympic athlete has had his finger amputated after he suffered an injury just so he can play in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Just two weeks ago, Matthew Dawson, a 30-year-old hockey player from Australia, suffered a badly broken finger on his right-hand during a team training session in Perth, Australia, and, after consulting with doctors, he found out the injury would take months to recover from and that he would miss out on the opportunity to play in his third Olympic Games.
But instead of opting for a long recovery, Dawson made a decision that would shock his teammates and has already made headlines around the world. He decided to amputate his finger so that he could compete in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
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So an amputation heals faster? Fast enough? Must have been some injury!
Surgical amputation with a wound the size of the base of a pinky should physically heal pretty quickly, but a splintered bone break can take months and might require additional surgeries with their own recovery times.
What might take even longer is his adjustment to having nine fingers. I’d be surprised if he maintained the same grip, and he might have other proprioception issues or phantom sensations.
They said 10 days for full recovery from the amputation. A broken bone takes 6 weeks, soft tissues like ligaments and tendons can take several months to get back to 100%.