Tessa Virtue has surgery, will miss Skate Canada

sillylionlove · Oct 12, 2010

Found this article on the web

Figure skating Olympic and world ice dance champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are sidelined due to injury. Virtue underwent surgery last week to reduce lingering pain in her shins and calves and the team will miss Skate Canada.

http://www.universalsports.com/news/article/newsid=495995.html#virtue+surgery+will+miss+skate+canada

Hope she recovers soon!

gopatrick · Oct 12, 2010

Does it mean that Tessa needs to have this operation every other year as she continues to skate? It sounds like the previous surgery couldn't totally relieve her pain.

Binthere · Oct 12, 2010

Such a struggle it must have been for her to make this tough decision. In ways I am we will never know, I would be willing to bet she was actually a real trooper last season as well dealing with this condition. Here's to hoping she will truly have a full recovery and can get enough pain relief from this surgery. Her health is by far the most important thing. Also a wise decision for them to agree to still attend Skate Canada as well, as I am sure there will be plenty of disappointed ticket holders who will still be glad to see them and wish them a full recovery.

demarinis5 · Oct 12, 2010

Sorry to hear this. Maybe she should think about retiring for health reasons, 2 surgeries in 3 years for the same condition, just saying.....

That said, get well soon Tessa.

lorrtta · Oct 12, 2010

Sorry to hear that

SamuraiKike · Oct 12, 2010

Going through surgery for the same reason of 2 years ago doesn´t sound good indeed. Perhaps it is really a better idea to skip this seadon (they dont need it) and come back strong for the rest of the cycle.

Its a shame they will miss the Final. Grand Prix Champions is the only big title they are missing..

colleen o'neill · Oct 12, 2010

:disapp:..Of course , that was the fear always lurking..the reports of continued pain last year, the heavy reliance on her physio. I'm so in awe of her bravery and grit.

The one hopeful sign is that it's not a surgery involving the same muscles , if I understand this properly. I hope that the pain she was experiencing last year was fully due to this developing situation and not a sign of recurrence in the anterior compartments.

ImaginaryPogue · Oct 12, 2010

sigh

Get well soon, Tessa

herios · Oct 12, 2010

This just ruined my season before it started, I am not going to post all the sad emoticon faces here, cause ain't enough sad to reflect how I feel...

dlgpffps · Oct 12, 2010

herios said:
This just ruined my season before it started

So many injuries. Some of my favorite skaters have been injured. I'm very upset.

bigsisjiejie · Oct 12, 2010

Good lord. First Evan Bates, now this--what a gigantic bummer. :disapp:
I would not be surprised if V/M decide to forego the rest of the GP as well, in the hopes they can gentle their way back into training and be ready for Worlds. I couldn't fault them if they decided to retire from competitive skating, though.

lycan · Oct 13, 2010

another injury report.. sigh.....:sheesh:

iluvtodd · Oct 13, 2010

Such a shame for Tessa (and Scott). I hope the surgery is successful and she recovers completely and quickly.

ImaginaryPogue · Oct 13, 2010

In the "thank heavens for small favours" category, if this had to happen, I'm glad it happened in the bookending seasons surrounding the Olympics and not the Olympic season.

In the "wow, you two are even more amazing than I thought" category, if this was lingering on even a little bit last season, that makes her/their achievements all the more incredible, and incredible they were already.

I hope to see them as soon as we can, but I also hope they don't rush things. herios, I'm feeling your pain. I can't believe just how integral these two are to my love of the sport and while I'll root for other teams (and would have regardless of their absence), they'll always be number one for me. In the end, I feel like they've hardly left me since "Mahler" is in heavy rotation in my viewing schedule as is "Umbrellas of Cherbourg" and "Valse Triste" (and their flamenco).

dorispulaski · Oct 13, 2010

Tessa has chronic exertional compartment syndrome.

This link describes the condition:
http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/compartment-syndrome.html

Here's how it works:

The muscles in our limbs are split into sections or ‘compartments’ bound by strong and relatively unyielding membranes of fibrous tissue (deep fascia), which also attach to bone, in effect wrapping up the different muscle groups. Every compartment has a blood and nerve supply.

Compartment syndrome arises when the pressure inside this enclosed space increases to the point where it interferes with the blood supply to the structures. A cascade of injury follows, with disruption to the metabolic processes of the muscle, cell death and leakage of fluid from capillaries, which further increases the excessive pressure.

A person with this syndrome may be relatively pain-free when not training.

It is characterised by muscle pain that repeatedly occurs with vigorous exercise and subsides with rest. The pain gradually worsens as exercise continues, ultimately restricting performance. There will often also be swelling and abnormal sensations in the affected limb during and immediately after exercise.

To relieve the pressure, the muscle fascia is cut in a surgical operation called a fasciotomy.

There are four muscle compartments in each of your lower legs.

Last year, Tessa had 2 cut in each of her legs.

According to the Universal Sports link, fasciotomies (cutting the muscle fascia) were just done on the other 2 (posterior, or back) compartments in both Tessa's legs It is somewhat optimistic that they did not have to go back and do anything to the compartments that were already operated on in the 2008/2009 season.

For those interested in the surgery, here's a link.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3912/is_200605/ai_n16452295/

After surgery 70-85% of patients are able to return to pre-treatment levels of activity, symptom-free. Patients with Chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) in the deep posterior compartment respond less well than those whose anterior or lateral compartment is involved

All four of Tessa's compartments have been involved in both legs, so that is something that has to temper optimism, especially as the surgery this time was on her posterior compartments in both legs.

I expect Tessa & Scott and their coaches will have very positive press releases, as that is what they did before, even when her continued pain was evident, as in the 2008/2009 season. However, I expect that training will always have at least some pain for Tessa, and that she will continue to require a physiotherapist as part of her training regimen.

Tessa's bravery and tenacity in the face of pain are truly inspiring, but this whole story makes me very, very sad. I hope that even if it is against the odds, that she completely recovers.

Nadine · Oct 13, 2010

After reading about all this, including the chronic pain, I think maybe they should retire? I mean they've won everything there is to win, including the Olympic Gold Medal, why not go out on a high note like Alexei Yagudin & Tara Lipinski did (& Michelle Kwan). I mean this with all sincereity. They could still do shows like so many others have done in the past, including Torville & Dean, maybe even create their own.

It just seems pointless to continue if this is a chronic thing, maybe even degenerative?, and she'll continue to need surgery every other year. In fact this sounds like carpal tunnel syndrome, only to a different part of the body, from continued & repeated overuse of going through the same motion day after day, hour after hour, second after second. Naturally this will result in hip injuries (e.g. Tara Lipinsk & Michelle Kwan) or what's happening now to Tessa Virtue. Of course pain is natural for all athletes to have, but when it gets to the point like the aforementioned, then I think retirement is the best option, the most logical. I wish her & her partner well, as such a decision will affect both of them of course, and will not be an easy one to make.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO TESSA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sparkly · Oct 13, 2010

Hi everyone. I'm new so this is my first post on 2 of my fave people but an unfortunate topic. I just read it this a.m. I admit I was shocked but they sound much more optimistic than before so I have to trust that but it must be very frustrating. I hope this bring 'long term' relief otherwise I fear the career will be a short(but glorious) one. Tessa's is tough stuff for sure, get well soon girl. As for me looks like the recordings of past performances will have to get a few more plays in. At least we got the 'I Want To Hold your Hand' routine it's new so for now it'll have to do. For me any V/M is good V/M.

colleen o'neill · Oct 13, 2010

Nadine.. I think you're getting a bit ahead of the game here. Did anyone with any actual medical knowledge mention that this would naturally lead to hip injuries ? Not that I've read...

As for myself , I'm going to hope that Tessa's outcome will fall in the 75 - 80% successful category rather than the 20 - 25% unsuccessful. This is not the time for doom and gloom.

Obviously , Tessa wants to extend her career ( & Scott's) further , if possible. I'm going to hope she achieves everything she wishes for. If she doesn't get optimal results , she and Scott still could have a (less demanding ) professional career when and if they feel ready.

Nadine · Oct 13, 2010

My reply was actually in response to Dorispulaski's post, whose opinion I respect, as she obviously loves ice dance and has a profound knowledge of it. Thus, I try to make sure to read her posts, even though I am not a fan of ice dance.

Btw, just to clarify, in no way did I say there was a correlation to hip injuries, that was your misunderstanding, colleen, not mine. Rather I was talking about continued & repeated overuse of going through the same motion day after day, hour after hour, second after second, which will naturally result in injuries (the hip being one).

Anyhow, I will stay out of this discussion from now on, as I am not a fan of ice dance, just doris.

But that doesn't mean I am unsympathetic to athletes injuries, no matter what country they come from. Therefore, I wish Tessa well, as I do anybody that has suffered an injury.

colleen o'neill · Oct 13, 2010

Nadine....I see, it was a language barrier thing. Don't be offended. Your paragraph was extremely easy to misunderstand. There's a big difference between saying " naturally this will lead to hip injuries ( e.g. ...etc" and "naturally this will lead to injuries, e.g. hip...etc"

I still do think you're quite premature in what you see as the best , most logical option (retirement).

Tessa Virtue has surgery, will miss Skate Canada

sillylionlove

gopatrick

EnChanted

Binthere

demarinis5

Gold for the Winter Prince!

lorrtta

SamuraiKike

colleen o'neill

ImaginaryPogue

herios

dlgpffps

bigsisjiejie

lycan

iluvtodd

ImaginaryPogue

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl

Nadine

sparkly

colleen o'neill

Nadine

colleen o'neill

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