Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. will go into surgery Friday to repair a shoulder injury, an operation that will likely require him to keep his arm in a sling for most of the summer.

"He knew something was wrong because when he was lifting weights he felt — and heard — a loud pop and he's been in a lot of pain since then," said Dr. David Petron, the University of Utah orthopedic and sports medicine specialist who diagnosed the injury.

Petron, who has treated Huntsman for years, said an MRI on Monday showed the governor had a torn rotator cuff, likely as a result of overuse. "He's been having shoulder problems for a while," the doctor said.

The one- to two-hour arthroscopic surgery, which will be done by Petron's partner, Dr. Robert Burke, will repair the major tendon that ripped.

"It's elective surgery," Petron said. "But somebody as young and as active as Gov. Huntsman would not do well without it." Without surgery, the doctor said, the governor would face a loss of motion and trouble with lifting.

That would be a problem for Huntsman, who exercises regularly and counts motocross racing among his interests. Petron said the governor will be in a sling for four to six weeks and then in physical therapy.

"It takes time to recover," Petron said. "Down the line, he'll be able to do everything." Including, eventually, motocross racing, even though his son, Jon Huntsman III, broke his leg while on the pair were on the track earlier this summer.

"There's no slowing him down," Petron said. "I've talked to him before about the motocross."

The governor could be wearing a sling today as he attends several July Fourth events — but it will likely come off when he plays the keyboards with his band, Politically Incorrect, at the Stadium of Fire in Provo.

Huntsman won't be back in the office until next week, and even then only as needed, said his spokeswoman, Lisa Roskelley. "His schedule next week will likely be very light," she said. "We've rearranged his schedule to give him some time to recuperate."

Roskelley said the governor decided this was "a good time to get this done."

The Huntsmans have suffered a series of medical problems recently. In addition to his son's broken leg, his 22-year-old daughter, Mary Anne, was hospitalized in June with a pulmonary embolism. Both of the younger Huntsmans are expected to make full recoveries.

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