Jeffery Taylor's rehabilitation from arthroscopic knee surgery is going according to plan. It is expected that the BC Wolves forward will start training with the team at the beginning of November, and basketball fans can expect his appearance on the court by the middle of the month.
The knee surgery was performed at the end of September after receiving the diagnosis that a surgical solution to the problem was necessary. Taylor missed practicing with the team during the entire pre-season period.
"With Jeff, we've had problems with his knee since the start of the season. He couldn't complete the training, he was in pain, and fluids were accumulating. After the tests, we initially decided to do conservative treatment - exercise, stress management, and we also gave him an injection. But there were no significant improvements. That's why we decided to go the arthroscopic route and do the surgery," said Gintarė Katkutė-Lackė, Wolves physiotherapist.
Talking about the situation, J. Taylor regrets that the unexpected problem did not happen at the best time.
“I was diagnosed with a cyst that was right next to my cruciate knee ligaments. It restricted my movements and caused swelling. We tried to wait, but we couldn't remove it so easily. In the end, I had to choose whether to wait a little longer or to take another route and return as soon as possible. The pain started at the end of summer. One day I woke up and felt it, my knees began to swell. Sometimes these things happen. According to the doctors, the cyst appeared in a very unusual place, so I was a bit unlucky. Also, it didn't happen at the best time. But what happened, happened. I had to deal with it," said the Wolves forward about his knee problem.
Three weeks after the operation, Taylor already started individual training, and is preparing hard to return to the court.
"Everything looks good. We control the swelling; we control the pain. We already have full knee flexion, which is one of our goals. Now Jeff has already started individual movements, running with the ball - doing something that is already close to basketball. But we still have a long way to go before he can get back into the rhythm of training. I think it's 3-4 more weeks, and hopefully the rhythm of the competition will be in mid-November", hoped G. Katkutė-Lackė.
J. Taylor himself believes in being able to return to the hardwood in the last month of autumn.
"The realistic goal is to return in November. Sometime early to mid. At the moment I'm walking, handling the ball, working in the gym - I'm doing everything I can that the physiotherapists and doctors allow me to do," Taylor said about the ongoing rehabilitation process.
Jeffery Taylor, who joined the Vilnius-based Wolves last winter, became one of the team's leaders and averaged 11.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists in the national championship (Betsafe-LKL).