Bono: I may never be able to play guitar again after New York bike crash

The singer - writing in a post on U2.com - also revealed that he will spend the first half of 2015 concentrating on his recovery.

“The consequences of this freak accident are significant enough that I will have to concentrate hard to be ready for the U2 tour in fitness terms… as a result I have cancelled every public appearance and decided this missive is all the communication I can manage for the first half of 2015, beyond muttering and singing to myself of course,” he wrote

The U2 frontman suffered three fractures to his left shoulder blade when he crashed to the ground while bike riding in New York.

He also fractured a little finger, and various injuries to his 'funny bone', caused a tear through the skin and fractures in six places.

In a post on U2's website he said his injuries could mean he will not be able to play guitar in the future.

"I broke my hand, my shoulder, my elbow and my face but the real injury this year was to my Irish pride as it was discovered that under my tracksuit I was wearing yellow and black Lycra cycling shorts,'' he said.

"Yes, LYCRA. This is not very rock 'n' roll. Recovery has been more difficult than I thought.

"As I write this, it is not clear that I will ever play guitar again. The band 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 (RED) Gretsch. 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? I'm all elbows, I am."

The 54-year-old had to undergo a gruelling five-hour operation following the accident.

So far the world's most famous rocker has had three metal plates and 18 screws inserted into his body.

In his posting, entitled a ‘Little Book of a Big Year: Bono's A to Z of 20, he reveals how he’s been forced to cancel “every public appearance” in the first half of 2015.

“This missive is all the communication I can manage…beyond muttering and singing to myself of course,” he said.

He has been given strong medication to ease the pain, with doctors advising him to stay as still as possible to allow his back to heal.

“These Percocets (painkillers) are pretty perky until they are not... you are in a kind of fluffy land floating till you wake the next morning with a bump,” he said.

He also revealed how, just before Christmas, his four children called up to 10 Cedarwood Road, to do a “piss-take band photo”.

It is the street where he grew up with his “best friends” Guggi and Gavin on the northside of Dublin.

“When the current owner photo bombed my kids by making funny faces at the window, they nearly jumped out of their southside skins” he said.

“She had no idea that these kids had any connection with No. 10, but invited them into our old family house anyway. And my old bedroom. And into our old bathroom where their dad used to sneak back in to the house late at night through the little window. There are some truly spontaneous great spirits in the world and the Ryans living in that house are definitely among them.”

Last month, U2 announced details of a major world tour, which will see them playing indoor arenas for the first time in a decade.

Speaking about his fight for recovery, Bono says he will have to “concentrate hard” to be fit to perform on stage.

Following his injury, he was forced to miss the band's performance at a World Aids Day benefit concert, in New York's Times Square last month.