Schwarzenegger To Have Surgery On Leg

(December 26, 2006) — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will need crutches, screws to secure his thigh bone and several weeks of recovery after undergoing surgery on his broken leg, his surgeon said.

The 59-year-old governor, actor and former bodybuilder was scheduled for surgery Tuesday morning in Los Angeles to repair his fractured right femur, which he broke while skiing with his family in Sun Valley, Idaho, during the weekend.

“As is standard for this type of surgery, the governor will be kept for observation for three days,” said Dr. Kevin Ehrhart, the orthopedic surgeon performing the surgery.

Ehrhart, who repaired former President Reagan’s broken hip in 2001, said Schwarzenegger’s recovery would take about eight weeks and cables and screws would be used to secure his upper right thigh bone.

He said he had spoken with Schwarzenegger since the accident and described the governor as “very comfortable.”Schwarzenegger was admitted to an undisclosed Los Angeles hospital Monday. While he is under anesthesia, expected to last no longer than two hours, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante will be acting governor, said Andrea Lynn Hoch, the governor’s legal affairs secretary.

Schwarzenegger does not intend to delay his second inauguration, scheduled for Jan. 5, said spokeswoman Julie Soderlund.

The fracture is the governor’s third medical problem in just over a year. In January, he needed 15 stitches to repair his cut lip after colliding with a car while riding his motorcycle in Los Angeles. He also spent several hours at a University of California, Davis, hospital last December with a rapid heartbeat while he had stomach flu.

Officials haven’t said which trail the governor was skiing at Sun Valley when he broke his leg. The resort has a black diamond trail dubbed “Arnold’s Run” in honor of Schwarzenegger.

Copyright © 2024 by Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

This material may not be republished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Read More

Joseph Baena Is Ready For A Relationship But Says He Hasn't Found 'The One' Yet (Exclusive)