Casey Stoner aware of wrist surgery risks

Former world champion Casey Stoner has conceded the imminent surgery on his troublesome left wrist carries an element of risk for his career.

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The Aussie needs a bone graft to repair serious damage in his left wrist that he first injured way back in 2003.

The problem with the scaphoid bone flared up again earlier this season and Stoner was even threatened with missing the end of the season to undergo crucial surgery.

Stoner, who revealed the operation was ‘career-saving’ before he won his home race at Phillip Island in domination fashion earlier this month, will go under the knife once he has completed a two-day test session on Ducati’s new carbon fibre chassis GP9 machine Stoner is aware that the surgery could impede him in the future.

The operation does carry a risk of permanent damage and Stoner is only too aware of the risks.

“I suppose the risk is if the bone doesn’t want to grow then it is going to die. If the bone dies and we have to take it out then I don’t know if it will be possible to race anymore because the wrist will collapse.

“But I’m quite sure with the doctor we are going with and the advice we have form the other doctors it should be okay. With the scaphoid there is only one end of the scaphoid attached with blood circulation, so if one part dies it starts to break apart and this is what causes lacerations in that area. If I don’t have support there in the braking point it is not possible to race, “said Stoner.