The Tyrolean skeleton ace Janine Flock recently suffered a severe herniated disc and had to have an operation. Training is possible once more in eight weeks at the earliest.
INNSBRUCK/RUM. After a massive herniated disc, the World Cup season of skeleton figurehead Janine Flock only starts in the second half of the season. Last Friday, the 33-year-old was operated on at the Kettenbrücke sanatorium in Innsbruck. The good news: the operation went very well, she started the rehabilitation program immediately. “After the acute pain in my back, I immediately contacted Doctor Gabl from the Chain Bridge Sanatorium in Innsbruck. After the magnetic resonance examination, it was clear that an operation was necessary because the herniated disc was really massive,” says Flock.
The operation was uncomplicated
The neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Gabl, who has already operated on the spine of top athletes such as Olympic champion Matthias Mayer, ex-downhill ace Hannes Reichelt or ex-biathlon star Dominik Landertinger, is satisfied with the course of the operation: “The operation was uncomplicated. It was a large herniated disc that put pressure on the nerves, we removed the part of the tissue that was in the nerve canal. Now a stable scar has to form and the intervertebral disc has to heal completely before it can fully bear weight once more. Janine Flock can start training once more in eight to ten weeks,” said the doctor.
Motivated and ambitious
A gentle rehabilitation program is now pending for Flock so that the intervertebral disc can heal completely. “The primary goal is healing, but if the doctors give me the green light, I would like to start in the World Cup in the second half of the season, maybe this year. Being at the World Championships in St. Moritz and being able to compete for medals is my greatest motivation!”, stresses the athlete. National skeleton team coach Jeff Pain is convinced: “As far as Janine is concerned, she is very lucky that this problem in was discovered on her back at this time of year. Of course, her health comes first. In elite sport, dealing with injuries is part of the success process and we will support her in doing what is necessary to get back to competing and back to get on the podium,” explains the coach.
