UFC Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Steven Sanders went into detail during a media conference on Monday on the procedure and Silva's expected recovery time.
The former UFC Middleweight Champion broke his tibia and fibula during the second round of his rematch against current UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman at UFC 168 last Saturday. Silva threw a leg kick which the Champ blocked causing Silva's leg to snap in two.
"The Spider" had emergency surgery at the Universal Medical Center in Las Vegas. The surgery lasted for about an hour and involved inserting a titanium rod into Silva's broken tibia. Though the fibula is expected to heal on its own, three screws were inserted into the rod to stabilize everything.
"Fortunately for Anderson, the skin did not break," said Dr. Sanders. "But where could an injury like that go? An injury like that could go where, as I mentioned, the skin breaks, and now you've got this exposed bone in the environment of an Octagon, and so his risk of infection goes up meteorically. He could have also twisted in such a different direction where he could've potentially lacerated an artery going to the foot, in which case you now have what we call vascular compromise. He could've, in that case, potentially needed a vascular reconstructive procedure to reattach an artery. Injuries like this can, at times, even be limb threatening. If the fracture is severe enough, if it compromises vascular supply to the feet and vascular supply cannot be reestablished, it can result in an amputation."
According to Dr. Sanders, Anderson is expected to make a full recovery and the bone should be fully healed within three to six months. Dr. Sanders has even stated that he expects Silva's bones to regain full strength and says that the former champ could return to fighting if he so wished.
"My prognosis for healing is three to six months," Dr. Sanders said. "But there are also soft tissue components that have to heal. If I had to make a guess less than 48 hours from the operation, it would be the fracture healing in three to six months, and attempting to train, six to nine months. You don't rehab a broken bone, it heals itself."
And according to the report at BJ.Penn.com, Anderson is in fact already asking Dr. Sanders about his return.
"He has spontaneously mentioned me in the pre-op area, his question was, 'When can I train?' And he has asked me every time, when I see him on my rounds, he asks: 'Will I be able to train? When can I train?' And I have always indicated to him that he should be able train."
Silva should be able to start training again within six to nine months. In fact, Silva is already up and on crutches after having his leg placed in a posterior splint.
Silva is on the road to recovery. Within a few weeks he should be able to put some weight on his leg. Silva will then begin rehabilitation to rebuild and strengthen his muscle and tissue. First he will focus on repairing his knee and ankle before starting weight baring rehabilitation.
