Sacramento Bee: 49ers QB Alex Smith had surgery in Birmingham,
Ala., on Thursday to remove the small piece of bone from his
throwing shoulder that broke just before the regular season began,
according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Dr. James
Andrews, who operated on Smith's separated shoulder in December,
performed the latest procedure. The bone fragment was located at
the tip of Smith's coracoid process, which itself is a small bone
that helps make up the shoulder joint. Andrews also removed a
piece of the wire suture that was inserted during the original
operation. The procedure was considered relatively minor and is
not expected to affect the mechanics of Smith's right arm. Smith,
the No. 1 overall pick of the 2005 draft, was placed on injured
reserve in September.
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