Former world cycling champion Eddy Merckx underwent successful hip surgery on Tuesday and will begin rehabilitation on Wednesday, the Herentals Hospital announced in a press release on Tuesday.
The 79-year-old fell while out cycling and fractured his hip on Monday. He was taken to the Herentals Hospital near Antwerp, where fellow-cycling champion Remco Evenepoel recently had to go after falling following a collision with a bpost vehicle, and was quickly treated.
"This is a typical and common fracture of the neck of the femur," the establishment wrote.
To treat this injury, a total hip prosthesis was fitted on Tuesday afternoon by Dr Mike Tengrootenhuysen and Prof. Dr Steven Claes. "The operation went smoothly, and a full recovery is expected," the hospital said. Merckx will have to stay “at least one night” to recover from the operation, it added.
His rehabilitation is due to begin on Wednesday "with the possibility of immediately putting all the weight of the body on the operated leg."
"Full recovery will usually take a few months, but fortunately for Eddy Merckx, cycling is an excellent rehabilitation activity, which can be resumed after just a few weeks."
Merckx, the greatest cycling champion in history, crashed on Monday in Hombeek, near Mechelen, during a cycling outing. No one else was involved in the incident. Merckx slipped on his own, said his wife Claudine.
The man with 525 victories already had to undergo emergency surgery for an intestinal obstruction at the end of March this year.
