With Dr. Kero Abdelmessih
Dr. Kero Abdelmessih (or Kero the Hero to his clients) is a board-certified and residency-trained sports physical therapist based in New Jersey in the United States.
He currently works at an Orthopaedic and Sports Clinic part time, seeing a variety of patients, and also works with ACL patients remotely through a platform he founded.
Kero has been through an ACL injury and reconstruction himself and his goal is to empower ACL patients to a life of “I CAN” in their recovery journey.
My ACL Injury
I tore my ACL during high school basketball tryouts over a decade ago, but it was more than just an injury to me. At one point in my life, I was overweight and didn’t feel like I was destined to go anywhere. I was bullied in elementary school and was doing the best I could to fit in and follow the directions set before me by my teachers, parents and peers.
It was after a trip to Egypt in High School that I realised I had a sliver of athletic ability, so I returned from that trip curious to explore that ability further. I had participated in different sports before, but that high school basketball tryout was the first time I took myself and my training seriously. For all those months of training to be taken away from me in an instant was devastating.
The ACL Rehab Journey
To me, the ACL rehab journey is a metaphor to life. There are days when you don’t feel like moving due to pain, or doing exercises, or simply keeping going because it seems like you’re getting nowhere. There are also days when you feel like you are on top of the world and where you can conquer anything that comes your way.
This equates to life in that there will be periods of grief, discomfort, pain, and suffering but this is necessary to be able to come out with a renewed sense of growth - but that’s only if you choose to do so. You can choose to play the victim or choose to put in the work necessary to progress in your recovery. No one takes those actions for you. This takes a sense of inner awareness and uncertain action.
Even with a good sense of awareness and a solid plan, it is oftentimes challenging to maintain these standards without a community supporting you along the way.
You shouldn't be going through this process alone.
ACL Hero Performance:
I’ve created free online resources to provide people with ACL injuries the tools and education necessary to feel empowered, including exercise demonstrations, book club meetings, research article summaries, mini-courses on topics such as return to run and range of motion as well as guest speakers sharing their expertise within the realm of ACL injury recovery. My goal is to provide the tools necessary for you to feel confident in your ACL rehab recovery!
Thank you Kero for this powerful piece on the impact that the ACL journey can have and how the mindset gained can prepare you for the range of challenges we face in life. If you'd like to access the resources offered by Kero, you can join here completely free!
Want more expert advice for the rehabilitation process? Click here to read "Nutritional Advice for Recovery"!