UFC
UFC NEWS: Shane Carwin out with no contact for 8-12 weeks following surgery to address multiple issues
Nov 4, 2010 - 11:05:30 AM UFC NEWS: Shane Carwin out with no contact for 8-12 weeks following surgery to address multiple issues

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

UFC heavyweight Shane Carwin underwent surgery on Tuesday to take care of a number of lingering issues with his back, neck and nerve pain, and the successful surgery will have him recovering for 8-12 weeks with no physical contact.

Carwin's manager Jason Genet, in comments made to MMAFighting.com, explained what Carwin underwent and revealed that the problem was actually worse than they had expected, and the extent of the damage was not known until he was under the knife.

"It went as good as it could have, but it was worse than we thought it was, if that makes sense," Genet said. According to the MMAFighting report, Carwin's procedure took four hours and required neurosurgeon Dr. Chad Prusmack to drill into Carwin's skull to repair nerve damage and problems with his C5, C6 and C7 discs.

Carwin had been dealing with the pain for years, but it had recently gotten to an unbearable point that required this surgery.

"[The] doctor said he was surprised Shane could compete with the damage as it was, but with the surgery, there's no reason he won't be able to fight and possibly even perform at a higher level," Genet said. "Once Shane gets back into the motions, we think it'll be relatively quick for him to get into fighting shape. He's not a guy who has a lot of ring rust."

Carwin reportedly felt the effects of the surgery immediately after, as the pain in his back was gone and numbness he had been experiencing had subsided. Carwin can begin light cardiovascular training in one to two weeks, but cannot do anything overly physical for quite some time. A spring 2011 return is the earliest he'll be able to make.

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: We all wish Shane the best in his recovery, and hopefully he'll be able to make a full return by mid-2011, and won't suffer too many negative effects from being out of action for an extended time. From the sounds of it, this was absolutely a necessity, and he'll live a better life regardless of his fighting career for having undergone the procedure. It could be a difficult rehab, but hopefully all goes well and Carwin heals as he needs to.

[Shane Carwin art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]