Nach Rampage-Sturz: Emil Johansson – Verletzungsupdate

Today, it has been more than 4 months since my accident in Utah & I feel like it is time for me to break my radio silence regarding everything. I have been trying to get my words together for so long… I’ve tried to write this so many times, probably a hundred different versions by now, but nothing ever felt right. Well, here is another attempt…

What was first “just” a dislocated hip turned out to be far more complicated. I underwent my first acute surgery the day after the crash in October… followed by 6 weeks on crutches. When I got off the crutches & started walking, but something didn’t feel right, new scans revealed a fully torn and retracted iliopsoas muscle — the primary hip flexor and one very important muscle for everything I do as an athlete.

A torn iliopsoas muscle is a very rare injury & the expertise in the area is slim. Thanks to the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center we found the best surgeon for the job & at the end of December I underwent my second surgery, in an attempt to reattach the iliopsoas to give me a real chance to return to full capacity & performance. The surgery went well & they managed to relocate the muscle to the femur after drilling a hole through my femur to anchor it.

The weeks after were the toughest I’ve faced. Wearing a hip brace 24/7. Severe nerve pain. Loss of quad function. Nights without sleep.

Weeks went by, and to further understand why I had the severe nerve pain I went in for another scan after 3 weeks. The new MRI showed that the repair of my fully torn muscle did not stand the test of time and had retracted again at some point after the surgery.

The combination of the major surgery, added nerve trauma & additional scar tissue buildup around the retracted iliopsoas were among the many reasons for the loss of nerve function. To go in again to try to repair the torn muscle is no longer an option as the risk of permanent nerve damage is too high. That’s when it stopped being about trying to repair what’s broken… and became about protecting my ability to live and move long term & play the cards I’m dealt.

Over the past few weeks my nerve pain has eased off & what remains is a significant loss of function in my quads & this is currently my biggest challenge… Today it’s been 10 weeks since my last surgery and I have now progressed to a level where I can walk around without crutches on flat ground relatively ok. But progress is measured in small steps. The nerve is still not fully responding, & due to that I have no ability yet to extend my leg. The nerve is still healing. And there’s no clear timeline. Just patience. Discipline. And belief in the process.

This has been the most humbling period of my life — going from peak performance to fighting for basic function. But I’m grateful to still be here, and to still have a path forward.

Thank you to everyone who’s supporting me through this. And to the team around me who pick me up when I can’t and continue to stand in this with me.

The work continues.