Diary of a Footballer post ACL Surgery
ACL Surgery is the one thing no one prepares for, no one wants to happen to them, and in the professional game, it has ended some careers.
However, me and you both know deep down it doesn’t have to be like that.
Ronaldo, or R9 as he is known, ruptured his Patella Tendon 4 times. 4. Came back strong from 3 of them, not to mention the number of times his ACL went each time he did this.
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You think this was happening in ‘98-’01, when science wasn’t anywhere near as good as it is now… where all the elite level clubs have access to the best physio, rehab, surgeons, strength and conditioning coaches… all of which would enable athletes to perform at their best as often as possible, whilst being able to prevent injury to the best of their ability.
It’s easy now to state the obvious and say that most of us playing ball and getting serious injuries (god forbid), does not have the same access to all of these people or resources, but that does not mean it is game over for us. I had to wait a year for surgery, before a 9-month recovery process until I was playing again. For some of us, we can quickly assume time is our biggest enemy during an injury, but in fact, there are times it is a huge aid to us. Looking back, it was to me…
I spent the year leading up to surgery working hard in the gym. A lot of exercises became off-limits for me, but that didn’t exclude me from doing the relevant physio I was prescribed, as well as looking into research based on the leading experts in the industry — in order to put myself in the best place possible to have the best rehab possible. I genuinely believe this is what sets people apart from the rest, and it can be tough if you’re not playing at a high level — is desire. The desire to get back on the pitch as quick as possible. The desire to be the best you can be. The desire to be stronger than ever.
Injuries are sink or swim moments. You either fight to stay afloat, and you realise you’re capable of swimming. Either that, or you sink and don’t work hard to show you’re capable of incredible things.
Each and every one of you can power back from setbacks. Setbacks set up comebacks. It’s all on you however, to make that happen.
