Raffaele Pascarella, the doctor who operated on "The Doctor", is the one who allowed Valentino not only to participate in the Aragon Grand Prix 24 days after his fractures of the tibia and fibula, but also and above all to qualify for the first row and finish in fifth position less than 6 seconds behind the winner.
« He is a great champion and has shown that with the right motivation you can do almost anything » commented the surgeon for marca.com from its Riuniti hospital in Ancona, Italy.
" I expected that. Already on the first day after the operation he was walking, and besides, the fractures had no displacement, so everything was easier. »
The work was enormous, “ he was in physiotherapy six hours a day ", but Raffaele Pascarella does not underestimate the mental aspect, " the key was the great motivation he showed ».
It was the doctor himself who told him not to use the hyperbaric chamber, an instrument used by Rossi in 2010, when he fractured these same bones. “ Yes, I advised him not to use it. There was no need for it. The previous time, the fracture was with displacement and there, that can help. But now, no. »
Pascarella was favorably surprised by his famous patient: “ Vale is 38 years old, young and athletic. This allowed him to speed up the convalescence. We didn't see each other much. During the 20 days I treated him, we only met three times. Of course, we talked on the phone often. He is a very friendly person. Not someone who is difficult to talk to and get along with. »
Photos © Yamaha
Source: marca.com
