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World Armwrestling Champion Devon Larratt celebrated after reclaiming his title in 2017.
It’s hard not to be impressed while watching videos of Devon Larratt triumphing once again as World Champion (left and right arm) in the World Armwrestling League earlier this year. But even more impressive is that just 11 months earlier, he was undergoing surgery on the very arm that would eventually bring him glory.
Larratt has been taking part in armwrestling competitions for most of his life. At age 18, he entered his first tournament. Just five years later, he won his first World Championship. Now, at age 42, Larratt has held the title of World Champion (left arm) in the World Armwrestling League since 2014.
Larratt has undergone three arm surgeries since 2013, all at The Ottawa Hospital. Each surgery, known as arthroscopic elbow debridement and osteochondroplasty, was done to remove extra bone development in his elbow joints.
He credits the orthopaedic surgery team, including Dr. J Pollock, for his ability to continue competing.
“Both my left and right elbow joints were degraded to a point where I was in constant pain,” said Larratt. “Thanks to Dr. Pollock’s expertise and the team at The Ottawa Hospital, I have become virtually pain free, once again able to live happier doing the things that I love to do, like armwrestling!”
Being a fitness fanatic his whole life, Larratt worked hard to rehabilitate after each surgery. As a natural competitor, getting back to full health and ready for the next championship was priority number one.
“I listened to my body, and made sure I never went too far during rehab. I’ve been training for years, so I treated rehab like preparation for any other event. This, combined with the incredible work of my surgery team, helped me get back to competing less than a year later.”
What’s next for Larratt? His schedule keeps him busy, travelling all over the world to compete. And thanks to the orthopaedic surgery team at The Ottawa Hospital, he can continue doing just that.
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