Aikman Has Shoulder and Elbow Surgery

Injured Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman had surgery this morning to repair his separated right shoulder and remove bone chips in his right elbow.

“Both procedures went very smoothly,” said Cowboys trainer Kevin O’Neill.

Dr. James Andrews of Birmingham, Ala., and Dallas Cowboys team physician Robert Vandermeer performed the operations.

O’Neill said Aikman will be hospitalized until Friday, then “will immediately begin rehabilitation.” He said Aikman would likely begin throwing again in eight weeks.

“The shoulder felt fine for the first few days,” Aikman said Tuesday of the injury he suffered in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 23. “But it kind of stayed there. It hasn’t been feeling much better.”

Specialist Dr. Frank Jobe of Los Angeles, who has worked with Aikman before, had been scheduled to perform the surgery, but he is out of the country.

Aikman said he did not want to wait three or four weeks until Jobe would be able to do the surgery. He said he wanted to begin his rehabilitation sooner.

The elbow procedure had been scheduled for the off-season, and Aikman wanted to get both the shoulder and elbow operated on at the same time to minimize his rehabilitation time.