Jade Barbosa's Doctor: "We're Going to Think Positive, But Only Time Will Tell."

Cidlover beat us to it, but for the sake of completeness, we'll post our translation of the Globoesporte article that features the latest about Jade Barbosa's hand injury. We don't think it will come as a surprise to anyone who has followed the story over the last few months that Jade is not in a good way. In fact, it sounds to us like Jade's career is over. We'll think positive, as she herself and her doctor are apparently doing, but it sounds bad. Here's the Globoesporte story...


(Photo: Jasmin Schneebeli-Wochner/Gymbox)

Jade's doctor consults specialists and concludes that there is no treatment for her injury

Brazilian and foreign specialists are unanimous: Problem is serious

After consulting almost one hundred colleagues, Sandro Deodato, Jade Barbosa's doctor, arrived at this conclusion: Only time will tell if the athlete will be able to continue in elite gymnastics.

According to the doctor, the gymnast's injury to her right hand was studied extensively at the Pathology and Total Arthroplasty of the Hand course taught by the Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology of the São Paulo Academic Medical Center (USP). Brazilian and foreign specialists participated in the event, held last weekend in São Paulo. American Brian Adams of Iowa University, considered one of the world's leading experts in his specialty, held a similar opinion to the rest of his colleagues.

"Almost a hundred doctors were there and they all arrived at the same conclusion. There is no curative treatment for her. All we can do now is think about various ways to make things better for her. For now, we will just wait and see how she does in training," explained Sandro Deodato.


(photo: Reuters)

Gymnast must remain in Brazil

Deodato also got a second opinion from American specialist Alejandro Badia of the Miami Hand Center, who received and analyzed the athlete's examinations in the United States. The doctor invited the athlete and her Brazilian doctor for examinations in the USA, but that possibility has been practically discarded.

"We would like to do it, but it's very expensive. I don't know if it would be worth it," said Deodato.

Jade, who is avoiding using her arms while training at Flamengo, will be regularly reexamined by her doctor. If the gymnast continues to feel pain in her hand, she may undergo surgery to remove the bone fragments. However, such an intervention would only serve to alleviate the injury, not to cure it.

"Our objective is to keep Jade in gymnastics. It's a complicated matter. If she had another profession, it would be easier, but elite gymnastics is a demanding sport. She may turn out fine, and then again she may not. We're going to think positive, but only time will tell."

We read that as an announcement that Jade's career is effectively over, and we're genuinely sorry to hear it.