Hopkins undergoes successful surgery
Kawasaki's John Hopkins was in a buoyant mood and looking forward to a period of rest and recuperation after undergoing successful surgery at the Fremont Surgery Centre in California on Thursday.The 25-year-old Anglo-American underwent a surgical procedure to remove the metal plates from his left ankle and left foot, inserted following his high-speed crash during practice for this year's Dutch TT at Assen in June.
Surgeons, led by the world renowned Doctor Arthur Ting, also performed keyhole surgery to clean up scar tissue and cartilage damage in Hopkins' left knee, which he injured in the same Assen crash.
Doctor Ting also took the opportunity during the operation to remove a metal plate from the Kawasaki pilot's left hand, the result of a previous injury, to leave Hopkins hardware free for the first time in three years.
Hopkins remained in the Fremont Surgery Centre overnight following the operation, but will return home to San Diego following a 24-hour post surgical evaluation today, Friday 5th December.
The Kawasaki pilot will now require four weeks of rest and recuperation, with only mild rehabilitation exercise, before resuming his full training and conditioning programme ahead of the 2009 MotoGP season.
