The British rider, who now represents Israel-Premier Tech, is in no serious condition. This is not the initial big blow in the career of Froome. In 2019, he suffered another disastrous crash during training that resulted in him being admitted to an intensive care unit with a broken leg and resulting in his absence at the 2019 Tour de France.
The team affirmed in a statement posted in X: “Fortunately, Chris is stable and did not sustain any head injuries; however, scans have confirmed a pneumothorax, five broken ribs, and a lumbar vertebrae fracture.” The same update was also posted on Froome’s personal account. The team added that he is scheduled to undergo surgery on Thursday afternoon.
The accident on Wednesday has brought back the discussion of the dangers that the leading cyclists face when they are training and competing at high speeds.
What is Pneumothorax?
Among the more serious ones are the pneumothorax and lumbar vertebrae fracture. A collapsed lung, which is also referred to as a pneumothorax, is the leakage of air in the gap between the chest wall and the lung. The trapped Sir presses against the lung, collapsing it in part or completely.
Blunt trauma may cause a condition like a call or heavy blow to the chest, and it tends to cause sudden chest pains and the onset of breathlessness. Whereas there are small cases that can be solved by merely observing, there are cases that are life-threatening and may need rapid medical care.
No less alarming is the fracture of lumbar vertebrae. The lumbar region is the lower section of the spine, which is composed of five vertebrae which carry a great part of the weight of the body, and they are movable. A fracture in this area typically results from high-impact trauma, such as a cycling crash or a fall.
The typical symptoms consist of severe lower back pain, which is aggravated by movement and in more severe cases, nerve damage may result in numbness, tingling, or weakness of the legs. The severity of the break determines the nature of the treatment; rest and spinal bracing are used, or surgery is performed.
In the case of Froome, who has developed his career based on stamina and endurance, the road to recovery will be a challenging one. A fractured back and a ruptured lung need care and time and pose questions of when, or whether, he will be back on the track at the top.