Stephanie Rice, who announced during the Pan Pacific Championships that she was calling off the rest of her season to move up a planned shoulder surgery, will go under the knife today in Australia.
In a press conference announcing the decision, Rice referred to the surgery as a simple cleanout, rather than a reconstruction, which is a positive for the long-term health of her shoulder.Rice’s surgery will take place around 10:00 PM Eastern US Time, which is around noon local time on September 1st. The procedure will be done arthroscopically, meaning with small incisions.
These procedures typically take between two and two-and-a-half hours, with an hour or two in the recovery room. Without complications, patients typically feel well enough to go home the same day, although occasionally they must stay overnight.
Rice’s expected recovery and rehab time is about 4 months, meaning her training for April’s World Championship Trials will begin in the first few weeks of 2011, assuming there are no hiccups along the way.
We wish the best of luck to Stephanie in her surgery, and will keep our readers posted if there are any developments.