Hi guys,

For my blog this week I have decided to give you an insight into the rehabilitation I have been going through after having hamstring surgery a couple of weeks ago.

I hope you find it interesting!

Go Saints!
#37 Tom Ledger

In the third quarter in last weekends clash with West Coast, in what seemed to be a fairly innocuous incident, defender James Gwilt’s season was ended for 2011. Jimmy is a pivotal part of the back six and has been for the past couple of years. He can play on talls or smalls, provides great drive out of defence and is one of our best kicks.

On a team note it’s a big loss, but personally Jim will have a long road back in rehabilitation with his knee injury.

Earlier in the year against Richmond in Round 2, one of our best players, Lenny Hayes, landed awkwardly and it was quickly assessed he had unfortunately done a serious knee injury and would miss the rest of the season. Everyone knows how important Lenny is to the side and he’s proven that over the last decade. It’s hard to replace a Norm Smith medalist.

The club has had other injuries these year too - ruckman Michael Gardiner has found it difficult to get continuity, Jarryn Geary suffered a broken leg and Rob Eddy broke his wrist. Paul Cahill had a 10-week quad injury. Dean Polo split the webbing in his hand. Youngster Jamie Cripps recruited compartment syndrome in his calves. Sam Crocker and Jackson Ferguson recently went into surgery to repair their shoulders; and Rhys Stanley and Will Johnson have had minor hamstring injuries. All faced a period of the sidelines, trying their best to get back playing.

Two weeks ago, in the last kick of training, I tore my hamstring again. Initially I was in denial in regards to the seriousness of the injury, and put it down to cramp. In the back of my head I knew I had done something more sinister. Upon inspection by the physiotherapy team, it was clear I had lost power in the hamstring, a strong indication there is a problem with the tendon. I put all hopes of playing that weekend on hold, and hoped for the best. I woke up the next day, couldn’t walk, and drove to get a scan already knowing what the result would be.

The scans confirmed a split in the tendon, the same injury I sustained against Geelong in the NAB Cup. After lengthy discussions with the doctors at the club, the coach and a leading surgeon, we decided to undertake surgery to get the tendon fixed and start a full pre-season. Upon consulting Dr. Google, I discovered it is a similar injury that former Collingwood captain Nathan Buckley endured during 2005-2007, and he faced multiple recurrences, frustrated that it wouldn’t heal and perplexed as to why. Back then, the knowledge of tendon issues was not as sound, so it was noted that three years ago, no one would have even considered surgery on this type of injury.

The alternative for me was to take a further eight weeks off, hope the tendon healed properly, and face a relatively likely potential of recurrence in the future. It was a no-brainer. Fellow team mates Raph Clarke and our skipper Nick Riewoldt had the same surgery, and both assured me they’ve been injury free and unrestricted (touch-wood) since. Dad told me I was stupid not to get it fixed. A week later I went under the knife and now I’m on the road back, aiming to get a full pre-season under my belt to re-load for next year.

As a result of the injury I’m now sharing a bit of time with Lenny in the gym, who is 16 weeks into his rehab. It’s interesting observing what the best players do to overcome these sorts of setbacks. Earlier in the year when I did this, I’ll admit I found it hard. I hadn’t really been injured before, and had actually never missed a game in juniors through injury. So I got frustrated easily during rehab, and as much as I had university to do, 10 weeks without playing actually affected my mood.

I thought of Lenny’s injury at his age and marveled at how he remained so positive. Looking back, I could have handled it better. I’m not the first player to get a long-term injury, so this time I asked many more experienced players for advice in handling it. For instance, Roo handed me a diary, which detailed his exact road to playing again in a remarkable 13 weeks. I have since started my own. He picked himself up straight away and moved on.

But it was particularly clear that often the physical side of things is easier than the mental part. On many occasions he wrote of immense frustration on not playing and the massive disappointment the injury was for him. Lenny revealed to me that down days will happen, but it’s important not to show it around the club and to always show a positive image. He said he is now focused on preparing for day one of pre-season. That is now my goal. Others mentioned that injuries give you a chance to focus on other areas of your life. Roo told me how much he leant on his family when he was injured last year.

In life, obviously bigger losses happen to individuals and communities than missing games of footy. In essence, anything that is taken away from you leads to disappointment and grief, in some degree. Take for example the loss of a limb, the sudden loss of a family member or close friend, or the loss of a community as result of a natural disaster. So sustaining a split-second injury that ends your season is on a relatively more insignificant scale. But all can be instant and unexpected.

It’s therefore important that as much as we all love the game, not to be defined by it in the sense that all your happiness is taken away. Family, friends and other interests are imperative. Taking pleasure out of our success as a team also helps. You can see above how many injuries happen in the game, and the injury list in the paper has over 100 names on it. Watching our game against North Melbourne two weeks ago, a few particular contests showed how tough the game is, and how easily injuries can happen. St Kilda has been revolutionary this year in furthering our off-field careers. It’s not hard to see why.

The boys face off against Adelaide tonight in what will be a big game. Hopefully the boys can get a win and gain a spot in the top eight leading into the finals. As a team we’ve been conscious of not becoming complacent and improving. I think the win last week against West Coast showed we are playing really good footy and we can do some big damage in September, should we make it.