Surgeon's disbelief at SVG's rapid recovery
Shane van Gisbergen has revealed his surgeon's reaction to his rapid recovery following his mountain biking accident on March 6.
The Red Bull Ampol Racing driver confirmed on Tuesday afternoon he raced at Sandown not only with a broken collarbone, but with three broken ribs.
Appearing on Supercars' new live Facebook show, Tuesday Night Takeaway, the championship leader gave an update on his condition.
"I went to the surgeon today to just check my shoulder to see if I had done anything and just to make sure hadn't damaged it," he said.
WATCH: TUESDAY NIGHT TAKEAWAY
"I started hurting; a lot of bruising has been showing up and it was hurting to cough and laugh.
"As it was painful in the car, I got an extra X-ray on my chest and ribs, and I found out I've broken three."
Sharing a photo of the X-ray taken while visiting a surgeon on Tuesday on his Instagram account, doctors confirmed the 31-year-old had done no further damage to his existing injury.
Answering questions from fans live on the show, the 2016 champion admitted his surgeon was surprised with his swift recovery, a fortnight on from his operation.
"The surgeon today sort of still can't believe it," he said.
"I got all the dressing off the scar last night, he checked it today, and it's already fully healed.
"He can't believe how quickly it's all looked after itself, so it's pretty cool.
"I go again to see him in four weeks and have the final check up with him, then at the end of the year, hopefully get the plate out.
"He was pretty stoked with how it went, that's for sure."
Van Gisbergen has been working to speed up his recovery process; he has undergone hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and was shadowed by the team's physiotherapist Chris Brady at Sandown.
He defied the odds to score a hat-trick of wins at Sandown to extend his championship olead over teammate Jamie Whincup by 150 points.
The Repco Supercars Championship field will return to Symmons Plains for the Beaurepaires Tasmania SuperSprint across April 10-11. Tickets are on sale now.
The event will be broadcast live on Foxtel and will be streamed on Kayo.
