Jokin Altuna is not yet ready to take the field. /
Jokin Altuna is out this afternoon in Bera and is doubtful for Sunday’s semifinal at the La Blanca Tournament in Gasteiz
“I’m not ready to play yet.” Jokin Altuna settled with this phrase the doubts that existed about his participation in today’s star event in Bera. The left shoulder has improved, but not as much as the most optimistic calculations expected. The last test to which the amezketarra has subjected the deltoid muscle, damaged by the impact against the underplate of the Getaria pediment last Friday, has not been satisfactory.
In fact, Altuna III is undergoing an MRI today to more accurately determine the extent of his shoulder ailment. “Until now they had looked at me with the ultrasound machine,” she says. “The swelling hasn’t gone down yet and the bruise is still quite large. I would say it has even increased.”
“I’ve tried my shoulder and I can’t hit the ball,” explains the Cuatro y Medio champion regretfully, who also sees his presence in the next match, the La Blanca Tournament in Vitoria, in danger. His semifinal is Sunday afternoon at the Ogueta. “We are on Wednesday. We will see how it evolves as the days go by.
Although he was able to finish the Getaria match, Altuna acknowledges that “from the first moment I noticed that it was a big blow.” He felt and still feels pain when he raises his arm. “We strikers often use the top position. The deltoid is one of the key muscles for the pelota player. The diagnosis issued by Dr. José María Urrutia, a doctor from Aspe, reveals “a contusion at the insertion of the deltoid muscle.”
He also hit his head against the wall. «I gave him, but from the first moment I noticed that he had nothing». She is worried about the shoulder, not the head.
“I’m in a bad way”
Jokin Altuna undergoes a rehabilitation process that includes “massage and physiotherapy”. He regrets having to stop again after the surgery to remove a nodule on the index finger of his left hand and a bad hand that gave him quite a few headaches. “I’m in a bad patch with injuries. In this case it was the result of bad luck. In addition, I was playing well and I felt comfortable on the pitch.”
He prefers not to set deadlines. «The date of reappearance will depend on my sensations with the left shoulder. I have a good number of games in August.”
In addition to the La Blanca Tournament in Gasteiz, its program includes commitments in Covaleda (Thursday 11), Leitza (Saturday 13), Sunbilla (Sunday 14), Azkoitia (Monday 15), Tafalla (Wednesday 17), Zarautz (Sunday 21), Elgoibar (Wednesday 24), Bilbao (Thursday 25 and Saturday 27) and Donostia (Sunday 28).
