May 11/10 9:52 am - Whitten Misses Pan Am Championships with Broken Elbow

Posted by Editor on 05/11/10
 

Tara Whitten, the Canadian rider who won two world titles at the Track Worlds this past Spring was a late withdrawal from the Pan Am Road Championships after it was discovered she had broken her elbow during a recreational ride.

Tara explained to us what happened, via e-mail:

I injured my elbow a month ago while mountain biking the Amasa Back trail in Moab with my family (while I can now beat my Dad and my brother UP the hills, they can still beat me back down!). I had it x-rayed at the time and nothing turned up. Another x-ray two weeks later and my diagnosis was a possible radial head fracture, but this did not require a cast and I was told I could continue training and racing.

Last week I was in LA training for the Pan Am Championships, and things just didn't feel right. I went to see Dr. Howard Marans, the orthopedic surgeon who fixed Travis Smith's pelvis a few years ago. He suspected something more was going on, ordered a CT, and sure enough the scan showed a large (1.5 cm) chip off my humerus that was displaced and required surgery. He got me in for surgery two days later, and everything went well. He removed the chip and I am now recovering with a little less bone in my elbow.

Recovery should be quick - I can already ride on a trainer, and I can start working on my elbow mobility right away. It is unfortunate that this injury meant I had to pull out of the Pan Am Championships at the last minute, but I am sure the team will do well in my absence.

Our best wishes for a speedy recovery.