Sun forward Morgan Tuck had surgery on her left knee on September 13th, cutting her WNBA rookie season short. She is currently rehabbing her knee and will be updating fans regularly on her progress. Below is the first installment.
Hello everyone!
I’m going to be sharing my experiences over the next few weeks about my recovery from knee surgery. For those who don’t know, six weeks ago I had surgery to repair the cartilage in my knee. It’s called an OATS (Osteochodral Autograft Transfer System) procedure. During my first six weeks of rehab, I couldn’t bear any weight on my leg, so that meant I had to be on crutches. Being on crutches is a huge hassle but my mom was kind enough to stay with me and help me for as long as I needed. My mom helped me with things from driving me around, cooking, filling my ice machine, helping with my exercises, moving me out of my apartment, and so much more. She seriously made my life so much easier!
Now my main focus is making sure I am doing everything possible to get back on the court and be ready for next season. To do this I decided to go back to UConn for my rehab. Coach Geno and CD had no problem with me coming back and working with the team’s new trainer, Janelle. I work with Janelle five days a week and we do a wide range of exercises. A couple of the exercises I do every day are straight leg raises and the bike. Anyone who’s had a knee injury knows that these are essential! With everything we’re doing already, I know she’ll get me back stronger than I was before. I also get to work with the team’s strength and conditioning coach, Amanda Kimball. During the first six weeks, I pretty much could only work on my upper body and abs. Getting in shape and getting stronger is something that will definitely help me when I get back to playing. By being at UConn, I have access to everything I could possibly need and I get to see my old teammates almost everyday!
Week 6 of my recovery has been super exciting! First, I was finally able to get off crutches! Being able to walk and do things for myself again feels amazing. I also started taking swimming lessons. Let’s just say, I have a newfound respect for swimmers! My rehab involves pool exercises but I wanted to learn how to really swim because it’s a great workout. I have a while longer before I can start running so I think swimming is a great substitute. I definitely have a long way to go but today was only my first session. I’ll be like a fish in water in no time!
-Morgan
