Bono says he may never play guitar again after bicycle accident

July 20, 2011. Bono, right, and Adam Clayton, from the rock group U2, perform in concert as part of U2s 360 Tour at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. (The Associated Press)

Bono says he now has a titanium elbow and may never play guitar again due to injuries suffered in a New York City cycling accident.

The 54-year-old U2 frontman suffered multiple injuries, including fractures to his left eye socket, shoulder blade and left elbow, when he crashed his bike in Central Park in November. He required hours of surgery after what doctors called a "high-energy bicycle accident."

On the band's website Thursday, Bono said the "recovery has been more difficult than I thought. As I write this, it is not clear that I will ever play guitar again."

He added that his bandmates — The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen — "have reminded me that neither they nor Western civilization are depending on this."

"I personally would very much miss fingering the frets of my green Irish falcon or my ... Gretsch," Bono wrote. "Just for the pleasure, aside from writing tunes. But then does the Edge, or Jimmy Page, or any guitarist you know have a titanium elbow, as I do now?"

The Edge is U2's principal guitarist.

Bono said he hadn't "been able to move around physically" since the accident, and would "have to concentrate hard" to be ready for a U2 tour due to start in May.