Bouncing back from multiple injuries
Just a couple of weeks ago, bad news broke that Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose would likely miss the rest of the current NBA season, after missing the whole of last season, due to another knee injury. Although the injury is different, and considered to be less serious than the one he suffered two seasons ago, he, nevertheless, will miss extended time and probably doom any serious championship considerations the Bulls had for this year.
Immediately, I thought of how devastated Rose probably feels, after he went through more than a year of rehabilitation after surgery and, finally, declared himself ready to lead his team this year. He got a lot of flak for not returning late last season and perhaps helping the Bulls in the playoffs, but he made sure to come back on his own terms and when he felt everything was right. He was playing well, showing flashes of his 2011 MVP form. I was able to chat with the two-time Manila visitor during his last visit in September 2013, and he was expecting a great year for himself and his team. I wondered how he would bounce back from yet another major injury.
My mind then drifted to injuries and how they can affect players. Some players seem to just take injuries in stride and come back after getting healthy, not missing a beat. For others, their playing careers may never be the same. In the past PBA season, I personally witnessed three players, namely Dylan Ababou, Enrico Villanueva, and Rob Reyes go down with knee injuries. How does one bounce back from a major injury? What is the mindset of someone put in the situation where he makes a living playing basketball, then because of the injury, he cannot play for a significant amount of time, and, when (If?) he does come back, what kind of a player will he be?
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I tried to think of a PBA player who suffered multiple injuries, whose mind I could pick on the matter, and I thought of Reyes, who has suffered a knee injury not once, not twice, but three times in his five-year PBA career. Rob, the fourth pick in the talent-laden 2008 Rookie Draft (Gabe Norwood, Jared Dillinger, and Jayson Castro were picked ahead of Rob, Sol Mercado, Beau Belga, and Jeff Chan came later), refreshed my memory by telling me that he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his rookie year (2008), tore his meniscus in his fourth year in the PBA, and then tore his other ACL and both his medial and lateral menisci just last season, his fifth year. Prior to entering the PBA, he already tore an ACL while playing at Flagler College in Jacksonville, Florida, running into the backstop of the hoop while going for a block. Talk about hard luck.
I asked Rob, the nephew of my frequent PBA broadcast partner and good friend, former PBA player Eric Reyes, questions ranging from his thoughts immediately upon getting injured each time, throughout the therapy and rehabilitation process, and upon getting back to play competitive ball. According to him, each ACL injury made him worry if he would ever be back to his old self again. Mentally, he was concerned about not being able to play in the PBA anymore. After some time, he would be down, sad about another bout with an injury. Eventually though, he would come to accept his plight, and focus on working towards getting back into tip-top shape.
Coming back from devastating injuries such as Rob’s is surely not easy. All his three injuries in the PBA required surgery. For the two ACL injuries, reconstruction was needed, and they used part of his hamstring to replace the torn ACL. Both times, at least six months of rehabilitation were needed. For the meniscus injury he suffered two years ago, only minor surgery was required to clean up the torn portion. Rehabilitation for this lasted for about two months. The first ACL surgery and the meniscus clean-up were performed by renowned sports injury surgeon Dr George Canlas. Rehabilitation sessions were held at the Moro Lorenzo Clinic in Ateneo. The most recent surgery of Rob was performed in the United States by the Orthopedic Surgeon of Flagler College, and Rob did his rehab at Pinnacle Sports Therapy in St Augustine, Florida, which is near Rob’s home in the US. Since returning to Manila, his rehab and training have continued with the Talk ‘N Text staff. He is now already cleared to play, but he is still trying to get his timing back before he is put on the active roster.
Because of the ACL injuries, Rob had to sit for one full conference in his rookie year, and has now missed two full conferences. When he injured his meniscus, he opted to have surgery in the offseason, so he only missed about four games. Working to get back was by no means easy. Rob mentioned that after the midway point of rehab, he was “just dying to get cleared to play.” When he finally would be able to come back and get into a game, it would be intimidating at first. Timing was always a concern, but, according to Rob, when he got through the first couple of games, fear was no longer an issue, but frustration would be, since he would learn that he sometimes could not do certain things at the level he could prior to the injury/ies. However, as he became more comfortable being on the court in an actual game, he would adapt his game to any loss in athleticism or quickness.
Rob admits he can’t always explode like he used to. He has had to work harder at keeping his position on both ends of the court because he is not as athletic as he used to be. Mentally, there are times he feels he can still do something, but when he goes for it, the results are not how they used to be. He is pleased, though, that despite all his injuries, he has been able to find a way to maximize his abilities and help whichever team for which he has played. He has such a positive attitude and says that his injuries have helped him learn not to try and do too much. He knows his limitations at which aspects of the game he can be effective, so he focuses on them. For him, the injuries have made him “stay in my lane, so to speak.”
Aside from keeping him off the floor and reducing some of his athletic ability, Rob tries not to concern himself too much with his past injuries and not worry about future ones. He feels the teams he has played for looked beyond his injuries and instead paid more attention to his capability of helping them once he finally returned on the court. He prides himself in the fact that despite the “bad luck with some of the big injuries” that seem to happen as “freak things”, he has recovered well each time and, at least in his opinion, been able to come back and play at a high level. He confesses that he has asked the question, “Why me?”, when it comes to being injured several times. He takes care of his body and trains very hard to be healthy, so he can’t help but feel the frustration. He acknowledges, however, that there are things that are not in his control and, thus, he would rather focus on things over which he does.
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In attempting to regain his form prior to injury, he makes the commitment to work with trainers whom he trusts, and who are committed to helping him get better. Of course, his family is a big part of his support system. Rob says that one has to have the right frame of mind when trying to return from an injury. Without it, the road back will be even harder. He says, “It all starts with the right attitude.” I recall just a day after his latest knee injury, Rob took to Twitter to tell everyone he was alright and that he would be back. Such courage.
I asked Rob to dole out some advice to athletes who are trying to return from multiple bouts with injuries, like the NBA’s Rose, and he said, “Just work as hard as you can in rehab. Listen to your trainers and doctors.” He added that when the doctors tell you that you are medically cleared to play, do so with confidence. “Playing with fear of getting hurt only puts you at risk of getting hurt again.” Since athletes usually cannot control the occurrence of major injuries, Rob said to “focus on what you can control, and go all out.”
Rob is a solid frontcourt player, a hard worker, and the type of player who relies on his strength and determination to be effective. He is not a superstar, surely not a candidate for scoring champ, but he is willing to mix it up in the paint and grab rebounds, and guard opposing big men, including imports. The questions I asked him had nothing to do with being a superstar. They were about dealing with injuries, going through recovery, and bouncing back. Rob Reyes knows about all that. He’s been there a few times. And soon, once again, he’ll be back.
You can follow Charlie on Twitter @CharlieC.
Editor's note: The blogger's views do not represent Yahoo! Southeast Asia's position on the topic or issue being discussed in this post.
