MotoAmerica racer Jake Gagne is set to undergo surgery on his right arm following issues he's been having with arm pump. When the 2023 MotoAmerica season opened at Road Atlanta, the defending champion stated that he was struggling with compartment syndrome, also known as arm pump.
Arm pump is a rather common issue in the world of motorcycle racing. Indeed, even road riders are occasionally plagued by this issue. It manifests itself as pain or strain in the forearms following exercise or exertion, and can cause issues such as reduced mobility and weakened grip – two things you absolutely don't want in motorcycle racing. Medical experts explain that the pain is caused by the swelling of the muscles in the forearm, thereby affecting blood flow and causing oxygen levels to drop.
Indeed, many great motorcycle racers have undergone surgery to address arm pump. No less than 2021 MotoGP World Champion Fabio Quartararo went under the knife in 2022 for this issue. Not too long ago, Aleix Espargaro also had arm issues addressed via surgery. This time around, Jake Gagne is the next racer to seek surgical intervention to address the issue. The way surgery works is that doctors will clear out the surrounding tissue, or "clean up" the inside of the forearm, thereby making extra space for the muscles to expand when under exertion. This way, blood flow isn't hindered, and the proper oxygenation of the muscles can happen.
With a little over three weeks to spare until the next race happening from May 19 to 21, 2023, at Barber Motorsports Park, this should provide Gagne adequate time to rest, recover, and get back in shape. Despite arm pump being a rather invasive surgery, it's a common procedure done among athletes, and recovery times aren't that long.
In the case of Jake Gagne, this will be the third time he will be undergoing the procedure, as he explained to Roadracingworld.com. "I’m cool with getting it done. I got it done twice earlier in my career, but it’s been a lot of years since then. I just want to be comfortable on the bike. The bike was awesome this weekend, but two, three laps into the race I was just hanging on."
In the same article by Roadracingworld.com, Gagne explained how he was struggling during the opening round of MotoAmerica. "It was really, really holding me back this weekend. We managed to get a second and a first, but I just couldn’t ride the bike nearly like I wanted to. Anyone who’s ridden these things knows it gets sketchy when you’re pumped up. And especially because it’s my right arm, so working the throttle was bad and I could only brake as hard as I could pull the lever, which is tough in a battle with these guys. I couldn’t really make passes on the brakes. It was just being creative with my drives and stuff."
On that note, it's also worth mentioning that Jake's teammate, Cameron Petersen, had also undergone arm pump surgery prior to the start of the 2023 season.
