Julius Ciccone In February he underwent surgery to correct a deviated nasal septum, a problem that had always accompanied him, but which the Abruzzo rider decided to fix only at the beginning of this season. Let's talk about everything that has been Giulio's journey with Emilio Magni, doctor of the Trek-Segafredo, who followed the athlete even during the period of positivity to Covid19.
Can you explain Ciccone's problem better?
Certainly, the athlete suffered from a nasal septum deviation, a bone problemWe all have a deviated septum – specifies Dr. Magni – perfection does not exist. Usually it is not a problem, in some cases however it can become so and therefore it is necessary to resort to interventions.
Why can it become so?
On nasal septum deviation turbinate hypertrophy is connected, a different pathology which has multiple origins (bacterial, allergic, due to pollution) the two pathologies usually accompany each other.
Is it a serious pathology that can affect the athlete's performance?
In particular the problem is not so serious from a sporting point of view, since when running the rider breathes with his mouth open and therefore manages to satisfy the body's oxygen demand. The difficulties are mainly in everyday life, it becomes difficult to sleep or even a simple cold can be much more annoying.
So there wasn't that much urgency in fixing this little flaw?
No, it is also good to remember that for a cyclist this type of intervention they are complicated: not from a medical point of view, but from the clinical time they require.
Are there other ways to deal with the situation?
Surgery is the last thing to do; there are alternative treatments first. The most effective is the thermal one, where hot baths are used to keep the nasal cavities always clean.. If you then decide to intervene surgically, at least 2-3 days of hospitalization plus convalescence must be considered. It can't always be done, you have a window of about twenty days a year to perform this operation.
Giulio had Covid in August 2020. Was his illness more impactful?
It should be specified that The Covid created by Ciccone was already invasive enough on its own, it wasn't mildHe remained positive for 7-8 days, and if we then add the convalescence to this, I'd say he was out for almost 3 weeks. Certainly the disease was accentuated by the problem that the rider had, so at a later time it was decided to seize the opportunity and this operation was carried out.
Can sleep problems negatively impact rest and recovery in a stage race?
Absolutely, A peaceful and uninterrupted sleep is essential for recovering energy. Simply put, Giulio's flaw it did not allow him to sleep peacefully in all positions.
So this operation had little impact on his performance?
Now, as seen at the Giro, he is able to rest better and has had some improvement in his performance. Obviously, not all of the credit goes to this operation, but it can be said that it had a part to play.
