For weeks, Alex Smith has said that having surgery on his throwing shoulder was the option of last resort. On Monday evening, the 49ers quarterback took that option.
Smith has decided to to have a procedure on his right shoulder that is designed to tighten the connection between his shoulder and clavicle. The surgery likely will be performed this month and will require up to 12 weeks of recovery time.
Smith decided on surgery after visiting with team doctors at Stanford Hospital Monday afternoon and after a phone consultation with orthopedist Dr. James Andrews.
“Let's figure this out," Smith said Monday afternoon before his examination. “Surgery definitely is a possibility but the goal is to avoid it, especially with how old I am. The goal, either way, is to get it right."
It is not yet known when Smith will have the surgery or who will perform the procedure.
-- Matt Barrows
News, notes and reader questions about the San Francisco 49ers
December 10, 2007
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