2014 Motocross of Nations winner Steven Frossard has surprised medical experts with his recovery progress from a compressed dorsal vertebra and can already walk in what has been a careful period of rehabilitation that the former MXGP world championship runner-up described as literally “step by step”.
Frossard crashed awkwardly in the first moto of the Grand Prix of Lombardia at the Mantova circuit on August 23 and although he had feeling in both legs he was unable to move either limb.
The Frenchman uses words like “very lucky” to describe the accident that saw him ejected from the factory Monster Energy Kawasaki and land on his lower back. “I knew directly [something was wrong] when I tried to stand but then couldn’t. Both legs were the problem but it is the left one that I’ve had to work the most with since the crash. Lucky there was no big damage to the spinal cord.”
After one month of full-time residence in a specialist centre close to his home near Lyon, Frossard was able to leave and start his rehab programme, although any kind of date on the possibility to start training and think about riding is tough to say. “It is really difficult to say actually,” he admits.
“When the operation was over I was told I probably wouldn’t be able to use my leg properly again and I have surprised the doctors and everyone around me so far. The important thing is that I feel good and I am going step by step and making some improvements. I think the beginning of the season will come to early for me but I am motivated to make it back.”
The 28 year old can still not officially confirm his place of employment for 2016 although he is widely rumoured to have signed a deal to ride with Suzuki and allegedly tested one of the factory machines prior to his accident.
