A month has passed since Hafthor Bjornsson tore his chest during the bench press portion of a powerlifting competition. Ever since then, he has been working on making his recovery as perfect as possible which would shorten the time needed to come back. This included some intense methods, like infrared light exposure, cryotherapy, and more. However, all of this led to the most important moment of Hafthor’s recovery, which was the surgery.
Hafthor Bjornsson recently published a new video on his YouTube channel which covered a span of a few days. It started off with Hafthor preparing for his surgery using some of the aforementioned methods, but it also displayed clips of Hafthor’s surgery, as well as a segment of him lying in a hospital bed after everything was done.
Related: Hafthor Bjornsson Shares Doctor’s Update on Pec Tear Ahead of Surgery: ‘Swelling is Getting Worse’
Hafthor Bjornsson’s Surgery
Hafthor Bjornsson started off his video by completing his final round of cryotherapy and specially made recovery shakes, while also expressing gratitude for everyone who assisted him in this process. He then revealed that the pain in his chest and arm has dialed down drastically and that he only feels a bit bruised.
“It’s actually crazy how good I feel in my arm, like I can move it without any pain. The pain level I have right now is zero. If I press my arm I just feel a little bruised, that is all. Obviously, I am cautious, I am trying not to put my arm in any weird positions.”
While talking to his surgeon over the phone, Hafthor Bjornsson explained how he was excited to undergo surgery, presumably because it marked an important moment in his recovery process.
“I am looking forward to everything, which is kind of weird, but I am actually very excited for it.”
After 2 days of preparation, Hafthor Bjornsson woke up on the third day ready to undergo surgery. With everything prepared, Hafthor was put to sleep by one of the best anesthesiologists around. A clip from the surgery, which lasted for a couple of minutes, was then uploaded to his YouTube channel.
Since Hafthor Bjornsson was under the influence of anesthesia, he was not able to communicate as well following the surgery. So, his doctor took over the video to explain what happened.
“Everything went perfect, no problems, absolutely great. It was tough, but we have been preparing for seven days waiting for this. Really happy with how it went.”
While talking to Hafthor, the surgeon explained that they did everything in their power to enable the 2018 World’s Strongest Man to come back properly. They understand that his priority is to regain his strength, so everything was addressed to the smallest detail.
“Not only is his mass large, but his goals are large. So, he needed a special approach in terms of keeping him safe… I did a heavy duty type of repair so it will help him have the best chance of recovery.”
Seeing Hafthor’s injury first-hand, the surgeon explained to him how severe it was and what needed to be done.
“Yes his pec was totally torn, and Yes it was torn mostly muscular. But, I used a couple of different types of graphs that reinforce the muscle, recreated the tendon, and reattached it using some heavy duty anchors.”
Luckily for Hafthor Bjornsson, his doctor went an extra step in ensuring his comfort, as not a lot of additional treatments will be needed after this surgery. He will, however, only need to take care of his wound for some time.
“The good news about your incision is that you don’t need to do anything to it. It is covered with a special waterproof dressing. You don’t need to do anything about it.”
Watch the video here:
Warning: The graphic footage of Hafthor’s surgery starts at the 16:30 mark, and ends at the 18:17 mark.
Related: Mike O’Hearn & Injured Hafthor Bjornsson Use Tom Platz-Inspired Workout for Ligament Strength
Hafthor Bjornsson originally hoped to set a new All-Time World Record in powerlifting by the end of this year, before transitioning to Strongman next year. However, everything will be delayed now, as Hafthor is expected to put out a follow-up video explaining what his expectations for the recovery process moving forward will look like.