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Surgeon Lasse Lempainen shares update on Spinazzola’s recovery

Andy Mattioli

After four months of intense rehabilitation, Leonardo Spinazzola is getting ready to enter the final stages of recovery.

Recently, his surgeon – Dr. Lasse Lempainen – flew in all the way from Turku to monitor the player’s progress and give him the green light for the remainder of recovery which will consist of reactivation training.

The surgeon was interviewed by Corriere dello Sport, where he shared an update on Spina’s status.

“We are all very satisfied, there are no complications. Never in my career have I met such a determined athlete.”

“In these days we have drawn up a table that will be used by Spina to move on to the second phase: re-athletization.”

On when he could return to playing:

“We cannot give a precise date for such a serious injury. But the protocol for a tendon rupture that bears the full weight of the body is at least six months.”

“In January I will return to Rome, or perhaps he will come to Turku, for the last check. At that point, if everything continues to go well, we can move on to the competitive phase. Which means training with the team and then slowly getting into the game.”

“He won’t be able to play the full 90 minutes at first. He’ll start off with 15, maybe later 30. I repeat, we must use caution.”

On Spinazzola’s determination to be back already before the end of the year:

“None of us have ever thought that. You have to go step by step, the opposite would be neither wise nor realistic.”

“We cannot take risks because here we are talking about a top player and his team. Sunday I was at the stadium for Roma-Milan: it’s one thing to play five-a-side football with friends like you or me, it’s another thing to go against Ibrahimovic.”

“You must not forget that Spinazzola is a footballer capable of developing a speed of 35 kilometers per hour: this increases the load on the tendon.”

On the collaboration with the club’s medical staff:

“The collaboration with the club staff, and especially with Dr. Manara, was perfect. I assure you that this is not always the case.”

“We all want to conclude the recovery process in the most suitable way. Moreover, I have verified that the structures of Trigoria are fantastic.”

On Spinazzola’s history with muscular injuries and what it means going forward:

“Obviously, the goal is to achieve a balance in the athlete’s body. So let’s hope we can change that. The tendon will never go back to the way it was before, it will lose about 5-10 percent of its efficiency, but this will not affect the rest of the career.”

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MatchDay 25
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