Jamaican Doctor Reveals Seriousness of Elaine Thompson-Herah's Injury and Chances of a Comeback

Renowned Jamaican doctor Paul Wright warns that Elaine Thompson-Herah faces a tough road to recovery from her serious Achilles injury.

Jamaican doctor Paul Wright has discussed the seriousness of Elaine Thompson-Herah’s injury and her prospects for a successful comeback.

The five-time Olympic champion’s career has been hampered by a persistent Achilles issue, leaving fans eagerly awaiting her return.

Thompson-Herah had hinted at a 2024 comeback, aiming to defend her Olympic titles, but was forced to withdraw from the Paris Olympic Games due to another injury setback.

Paul Wright Gives an Overview of Elaine Thompson-Herah

Doctor Paul Wright offered a detailed overview of Elaine Thompson-Herah’s condition, explaining the critical role of the Achilles tendon in sprinting.

He clarified that while ligaments connect bone to bone, tendons link muscle to bone, with the Achilles connecting the calf muscle to the heelbone.

He emphasised that this tendon is essential for the push-off that propels sprinters forward, allowing them to accelerate and eventually reach top speed, citing Usain Bolt as an example of how momentum develops after the initial drive.

Doctor Paul Wright also highlighted that Achilles injuries can vary in severity, beginning with a strain in which the tendon fibres are partially torn, underscoring how such injuries can significantly impact an athlete’s ability to generate speed and maintain peak performance.

“The Achilles tendon is a tissue that attaches muscle to bone. That is what a tendon is. A ligament is a tissue that attaches bone to bone. So, the ligament is bone to bone. The tendon is a muscle to a bone,” the doctor shared in an interview with Sport Globe.

“So, when you have an Achilles tendon as her coach has hinted, I don't know if he made it plain is but you have to manage this thing in an extremely positive manner, you have to let it heal at its longest strength.

“In other words, in the metropolitan countries, when you have that injury, you sleep in a machine that moves your tendon down and up. Keeps it moving while it is healing. So that by the time it is healed, it is healed at its maximum length.”

Doctor Paul Wright explained that if an Achilles tendon heals at a shortened length, applying pressure at top speed can cause it to re-injure and bleed, leading to chronic tendonitis.

He outlined that the healing process typically takes between two to six weeks and stressed the importance of careful management during this period.

Doctor Wright emphasised that the ankle must be kept moving in a way that allows the tendon to heal at its full length, and only once this is achieved can an athlete safely resume high-performance training.

“Because if it is healed at its shortest length, the moment you pressure it at top speed, it will reach and bleed again. And it is chronic Achilles tendonitis,” he added.

“The healing process is anything from 2 to 6 weeks. So you have to be very careful about how you manage this thing and how you get them back.

“You have to keep that ankle moving in such a way that it heals without contraction, heals at its fullest length. And when it heals to its fullest length, then you can start to do high-performance work again.”

Is There A Possibility for Elaine Thompson-Herah to Make a Strong Comeback?

Doctor Paul Wright recounted a case of an athlete with tendonitis who had followed all instructions correctly but experienced pain when moving from three-quarters speed to top speed.

After conducting all the tests and finding no separation in the tendon, they decided to operate, and he recalled that his mentor at the time, Professor Sir John Golden, had hinted at what he might find during the procedure.

Using a scalpel, he made longitudinal cuts down the middle of the tendon, ensuring the fibres were not separated, and discovered fibrous tissue causing the pain at top speed.

He removed as much of this tissue as possible, sutured the tendon, and followed the standard healing process. Although the athlete never returned to top speed, he was able to rejoin his team.

Paul Wright explained that when teaching, he advised students that the goal was not to repair the tendon itself but to make longitudinal cuts to release the problematic tissue. He added that this was the only time he had performed such a procedure.

He also explained modern techniques, in which post-operative patients lie in a machine that moves the ankle continuously while sleeping, allowing the tendon to repair at its longest length around the clock.

"You remember Alberto Juantorena from Cuba stepping onto the track, right? He stepped on that little aluminium piece that separates the field from… well, you know," he said.

"I remember it vividly. He came back into the world, but he was nothing like he was before. That was a really serious injury, and to come back from something like that and reach the level you were at before, especially when you’re older, you’re looking at maybe a 1.2% chance."

Elaine Thompson-Herah faces a daunting challenge in returning to her previous elite form due to the severity of her Achilles injury.

As Dr Paul Wright explained, proper healing and management of the tendon are critical, but even with optimal treatment, a full comeback at peak speed, especially at her age, remains highly uncertain.