Lionel Sanders confirms sacral fracture and temporarily withdraws from competition
Lionel Sanders has finally confirmed what he had been fearing for weeks: he suffers a stress fracture in his sacrum.
After more than a month of persistent discomfort in the gluteal area and after several tests that yielded no results, the Canadian has received the definitive diagnosis.
"The last six weeks have been an emotional roller coaster," she explained on her Instagram account. "I felt a sharp, deep pain in my gluteal muscle, I had an MRI, and it came back clean.
Two weeks later, we did a CT scan, and it showed nothing either. But the pain never went away, and deep down I knew something wasn't right.
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EThe body spoke… but the diagnosis took a long time
During that time, Sanders tried to continue training cautiously, without pushing himself too hard.
The hope was that the pain would go away on its own. But it didn't. The latest MRI did detect what the previous ones hadn't: a clear stress fracture in the sacrum, the key bone at the base of the spine that absorbs much of the impact of running.
"If I could go back in time, I would have had another MRI around the second week," he admits. "Perhaps it would have detected the inflammation and confirmed what my intuition was already telling me."
Confirmed withdrawal for Lake Placid
This injury will require him to completely stop running for at least 6 to 8 weeks. Although he has now resumed swimming and cycling, the risk of relapse remains high.
Lionel Sanders has also confirmed that he will not be on the starting line of the HOMBRE DE HIERRO Lake Placid, scheduled for next week. "I could try running now, but what if I get injured again tomorrow?" he muses.
The real origin? A question of energy
Beyond the bone problem, Sanders has pointed to a possible metabolic origin: RED-S syndrome (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport), caused by insufficient caloric intake relative to energy expenditure.
"I think this injury has a lot to do with not eating enough for a long time," he explained on his YouTube channel.
"I've been aiming for a 2.000-calorie daily surplus for years, but I should be eating between 3.200 and 3.500. I wasn't doing that, and I have all the symptoms of RED-S."
Objective: to arrive healthy at the World Cup in Nice
With the IRONMAN World Championship Nice as a major objective in his calendarSanders doesn't want to rush things again. "If he needs six weeks, I'll give him six. If he needs eight, I'll give him six. This time, I'm going to respect the process."
