DV934 Interview of famous French "moto" surgeon Doc Dufour

Doc Dufour Interview by DV934, for Motardimpressions.com. Doc Dufour is the surgeon to many MX stars as well as athletes from other sports.

http://www.motardimpression.com/news.php?id=1607

(Shenzi translation with DV's authorization)
Don't forget to check DV934's adventure and very pertinent opinion at http://dv12.blogspot.com/

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Dr Dufour, the most "motorcyclist" of all surgeons, gave us a bit of his time, despite a hyper-booked schedule, to answer my questions. Voice-recorder ‘on’...

DV: Olivier, can you introduce yourself …

OD: Olivier Dufour, Surgeon of The Hospitals (one of the highest surgeon position in France), surgeon rather specialized on the sportsmen, working in particular for the FFM (French Motorcycle Federation), the Federation of Taekwondo, the French Federation of Traumatology of Sports … In brief, I was a surgeon in Paris and for weather reasons, I moved down in the South, in Aix en Provence.

DV: Tell us about your journey in motorcycling …

OD: I did the regional championships of Ile-de-France, Normandy and Provence. I also raced the French Vet championship, which I actually won in 1997. I it once only because of a rather average atmosphere. I also raced the 1997 Paris-Dakar on a bike and finished 32nd and first privateer without support, on a 600XR. I actually made the front page of L’Equipe (main French sports newspaper), with the title" The Legend of Dakar " where I am run over by a car. This picture became famous worldwide!

DV: Are you still riding?

OD: I hardly ride nowadays. I was in the USA a few years ago with Pierrick Paget, Thierry Champoussin and Stéphan Demartis, where we rode and did some local races. Otherwise, recently, I did some of the “recce” with my CRF450 for the Enduro race of Patrick Feraud, aka Maya, in the dunes of Merzouga in Morocco, as well as some of the recce for his Trial event, in Morocco also. In my garage, I have two motorcycles, a 450CRF and a Honda Montesa trial bike.

DV: What is the origin of the Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome (CECS), you are a bit of a precursor on that field, aren’t you?

OD: 25 years ago, I noticed that a lot of people had pain in the arm (arm-pump). Chronic effort’s CECS was described by military doctors in 1870 because it was "walk or die” in the French Foreign Legion, they made them walk for hours. They had CECS in the legs. When you walk a lot, pains appear on the tibiae crest in the muscle. The servicemen began to have acute CECS with necessity of amputation. They found this symptomatology, the flow of blood supply, the muscles which have too much pressure inside the fascial compartment, a “white gristle that envelops the muscle like a casing wraps of sausage", that locks muscles and stops the blood flow during an extended effort. It is what provokes cramps. I noticed that there was a problem in motocross with the forearms, because there are very few sports, apart from motorcycling, where the effort is so prolonged with contractions without rest. In tennis for example, Guillermo Vilas had a huge forearm. He had no CECS because there is some rest between plays. You never have non-stop 30 minutes effort. The other sports like jet-ski, canoeing, the kunga, and often windsurfing, where the effort is prolonged.
Seeing that, when I was in Paris, I gave some forearms pressure tests to a few riders, and I did the surgery on them. It worked well, in particular for Fred Bolley, who was double World champion later. I described all this in the international media, I went to the USA, to Australia, to explain all this. For the last 20 years, many riders from all around the world come to get the surgery. In some rare cases, it doesn’t work because the aponeurosis closes itself back too quickly, that’s why you have to use your forearms right after the surgery.

DV: What prevention do you advise?

OD: Riders should avoid forearms muscle exercises, like the wrist and spring ones, because that increases the muscular volume, and favors the possibility of CECS.

DV: What is your opinion on neck-braces?

OD: I had the feeling that at the beginning, they were too stiff, and that they transferred the energies, like the first too stiff knee braces that could break femurs or tibias. Intellectually, the neck brace is a good thing, but it would be better if it was an inflatable airbag system for the bigger impacts, or a foam one. Maybe the new neck braces are less rigid but it is necessary to absorb the impact a bit instead of spreading the stress and the energies.

DV: There are more and more serious injuries in our sport. What are, according to you, the solutions to take care of those?

OD: I think it is the result of the artificial obstacles on our tracks, and jumps, often badly built. In the past, it was old school with uphills, downhills, there were much more rounded jumps. Now, there are steeper jumps, blind landings. It is very impressive for the spectators with the jumps and the obstacles as in SX, and we see many more collisions. I think that you want to make me say that it is because of the speed etc. … What you think of David of it?

DV: No, not at all, I do not want to make you say anything, I just ask for your opinion as surgeon who practices MX. My point of view is that tracks are not adapted to the performances of modern bikes. The more motorcycles go fast and are more efficient, the more it is necessary to concentrate on the safety of the tracks. In the past, with the asthmatic 125 2-strokes, it was less dangerous. With a stock 450 we arrive on the obstacles with much more speed, but the tracks did not evolve enough. Fatally, something is wrong; tracks did not evolve as fast as motorcycles. I think that in MX, without even speaking about SX who is dedicated to the elite of our sport, the average and max speeds are too high. It is necessary to slow down circuits, and to make them more technical.

OD: I totally disagree with you … I agree on the fact that motorcycles have better performances. Often in crashes, it is not always because of the rider. There are often collisions. For example, Christophe Pourcel, 2 years ago, collided with the bike of a rider who had fallen in front of him practice. It was a huge jump, you couldn’t see the landing, the flagger wasn’t paying attention and he landed right on the crashed bike. It is a friendly sport but not professional enough when it comes to accident prevention. I have seen a lot of crash due to poor flagging. I can see what you are trying to make me say…

DV: No Olivier, I am not trying to make you say anything! I just ask for your opinion, simply, after all opinions vary, no worries …

OD: At my level, I find that the tracks today are too artificial with far too many steep and dangerous jumps, that’s where I do not agree with you. When we rode together 10 years ago, at Goult, there were no dangerous jumps. With a "beater" or a fast bike, I don’t see where you can hurt yourself over there. Nowadays, you go on tracks where, for me, the faces of the jumps are monstrous. I believe that tracks nowadays are more violent.

DV: You spoke about Christophe Pourcel, you were close to him after his accident. Without going into details, are you surprised that he came back to the top level and by his journey?

OD: Of course, I am surprised, and naturally that I am happy that he is champion again. By the way, thanks for asking me the question, I have to call him. It is incredible, he is in his own world, he only lives to be the champ, he never cried on his fate, on his condition. The most important in human beings is the brain. He came back because he has an incredible mental strength. Instead of going over and over saying that the crash wasn’t his mistake, he just said it was what it was, full stop, many people lose their energy just by complaining about their fate, he just moved forward and I find that amazing, bravo!

DV: Did you have an idol in the world of motorcycling, and why?

OD: I have no role model. I prefer hardship sports and surfing sports (windsurf, surf, snowboard, ski, etc). I admire more the sports where the volume of the physical effort is more important, like cycling or triathlon. You cannot win and become a champion in those sports without a colossal effort.
What impresses me enormously, for example, at the last MXGP in Mantova, Herlings and Roczen at 15 years-old, it is pure talent. You take Chris Pourcel or Marvin Musquin, when you see them bare-chested, you think to yourself, “but what are they doing?”
They have a prodigious timing and do the right things at the right time, I find that impressing.
Otherwise, having a role models, no… I was also impressed by Jean Claude Olivier (ex-boss of Yamaha France and Paris-Dakar/Le Touquet racer) in another way, who was very successful intellectually, and also a good off-road rider. We often look for models in life, but there is always something wrong with someone. For example, you take JMB, he’s a legend but he wasn’t very accessible, wasn’t very playful for a guy, when he was a racer. He changed a lot and he is much nicer nowadays. For me, there’s no one in the world of motorcycling that could be an idol for me.

DV: Of what surgery are you the most proud?

OD: I don’t like this "proud" term. Everybody uses this word in particular the Anglo-Saxons. I am happy to change the life of people. They come to see me with troubles or problems of health, which sometimes bother them for a long time, and it is gratifying to find the solutions. It is not so easy, because you "open" the person, you find the solutions, and that works. It is gratifying and I am happy. To be proud is the next dimension; it’s when you tell yourself that someone else could have done it. Why do the riders come to see me? Because I bring an adapted answer to their problem. I know their environment and constraints a little bit. Every case is different, and there is a strategy in the rehabilitation of an injury, depending of that time in the season. If there are 3 races left and the rider is playing the title or a podium finish in a championship, and he just ruptured his ACL, there is a possible strategy and the possibility of finishing this championship without surgical operation. I remember Carmichael who won the MXDN without cruciate ligaments in Belgium.

DV: Me too I was Champion of France Elite last year without my cruciate ligaments. Ha, ha, ha

OD: You see my big guy (laughter). I put myself in the rider’s situation to give him the most adapted solution.

DV: What are your passions apart from the bistoury knife?

OD: A few sport in fact. I try to practice kite-surfing as much as possible. It is an amazing sport. You get a lot of sensations without too many risks. You do giant jumps and you "land" on the water. I practice squash, tennis, windsurfing, ski. On one hand, orthopedic surgeries demands being in good physical shape and on the other end, I enjoy being active in the sport.

DV: Tell us about your trip to the USA with Pierrick Paget …

OD: For MX, it is the best. Tracks are very well maintained, it is very professional. In Europe it's good, it’s “family”, it is a friendly atmosphere, but in the USA, you are more perceived as a customer with whom it is necessary to develop loyalty through the quality of their trackss and the service. It is another dimension. The jumps are well built, there is no dust, no puddles, no pebbles. I loved it. I was also amazed that you could put everything in a pickup without everything being stolen. You do that in Bouches du Rhône (Marseilles region where DV lives), and you are “skinned” in 5 minutes. I don’t too much like the American lifestyle, based on money, but you have to admit that the fact that people are not jealous of you because you have a beautiful car, a beautiful house or "toys" is very much enjoyable.

DV: OK … I finished with my questions, but you can add something if you want …

OD: I would like to go back the MXGP of this weekend, where 2 " kids " of 15 years of age did 2nd and 3rd … I find that amazing!

DV: You speak physiologically?

OD: No, in no way, I am talking about talent!

DV: I apologize for interrupting you, but one cannot ride twice 40 minutes on a track as tough as Mantova, and not be ready physically. MX is an athletic sport nowadays when the talent is important, but in a minor way. The question that I ask is, how train physically at 15…

OD: How is this possible then?

DV: I think that they have been “eating” MX riding since an early age and they built their physical strength on the bike, not lifting weight.

OD: I am stunned by young people who were still in 85cc 2 years ago … On the other hand, you have riders who work like madmen and who don’t make it … I think sincerely that there are many riders who work harder than Herlings and Roczen. The life is not fair in a way. So I am more on the side of talent.

DV: For example, you think that Chris. Pourcel is only successful thanks to his talent?

OD: No, it is not only the talent. That is obvious right away. They are not athletic animals! He is very fluid, he does not spend energy and, like Marvin, they make all the time the right technical gesture at the right time without forcing. The 15-year-old hasn’t had the possibility to work hard to build their bodies, due to their young age. It is funny that you say that their success is not due to the talent …

DV: Talent is important but does not make everything. If it was thanks to the talent, a guy like Windham would have more titles than Carmichael …

OD: You know what? There’s the brain also. The guy shouldn’t "shit himself" neither! Look at JMB, everybody hated him in US, and he fed on that. That gave him the additional motivation. I understand because I am a little bit like that. When something is difficult, I am the kind who says, do not worry you, I’ll get there. That, it’s the brain! Windham is magnificent to watch riding, but doesn’t have “that thing” that makes winners. Chris Pourcel is like that for example, he is incredible. He has the talent, the technique, the timing, and the brain of a winner. I see the riders going through my office, and I can tell who is strong mentally. Take Stéphane Peterhansel (multiple winner of the Paris-Dakar and Enduro World champion) whom I know well. He didn’t used to train enormously, but the guy had the means to get in his competitors’ heads, and he used to demoralize them before the starts, with 2 or 3 smart, toxic, comments. He was the rider who destabilized most his competitors in Africa. That, it’s the brain and mental strength! I assure you that if a Champion enters my office, I can tell you right away! I saw them very young, and I saw progressing.

DV: Thank you for your very relevant answers as well as for your availability!