ACL Reconstruction Requires Hard Work And Dedicated Recovery

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Should NFL players pressure themselves to recover quickly from an injury? Fans and sports journalist are surely eager to see star performers back in the game, but behind closed doors, the comebacks can be tedious work and put unnecessary pressure on the players. Some fast recoveries can set the bar high for other injured players, but as Minnesota Vikings’ running back and MVP Adrian Peterson points out in an article in the New York Times, that fast recoveries are due to a “mind-set to work hard”. Peterson returned after a relatively fast recovery of eight months after the ACL reconstruction surgery in his left knee. Another injured star player, Washington’s Robert Griffin III said the he follows an aggressive recovery program, but avoids the pressure to return, because he is confident his body and the way it’s responding.
“You only feel pressure when you don’t know what you’re doing or you’re not confident in what you’re doing”, Griffin says.
According to Manhattan Orthopedic Care’s orthopedic knee specialist Dr. Armin Tehrany, ACL tears can not be prevented, nor should players blame themselves. Instead, the best way to recover from them is to do an ACL reconstructive knee surgery and start with rehabilitation at your own pace.
“This article is spot on when it comes to knee injuries like the ACL. The elements of success after an ACL reconstruction, as RG III and Adrian Peterson point out well, include hard work and self-confidence. There are no proven methods of prevention, so it is unfair to blame yourself if it happens to you. If you think you might have torn your ACL, get it checked out by an expert. Now that we have nearly perfected the technique of ACL reconstruction surgery, I feel that the benefits of sports, both physical and psychological, greatly outweigh the potential drawbacks in this day and age.”