Georgia Wilson’s Recovery Journey – Part 1

Georgia Wilson’s Recovery Journey – Part 1

Hockeyroo Georgia Wilson had her Commonwealth Games dreams torn away by a knee injury earlier this year. Whilst shattered, 22-year-old Georgia refocused her goals and is now completing a 12-month rehabilitation with the ultimate goal in mind – Tokyo 2020.  Georgia has shared her story with us, over a three part series, kicking off with where it all began….

I vividly remember the two moments during my adolescent athletic career when I have been forced to confront the brutality that accompanies injury.

Both times occurred during an MRI scan.

Twenty minutes of being physically encapsulated in a machine that generates nearly as much sound as your pounding thoughts. In cases like my own, an MRI scan merely provides relief from the painful wait endured between the incident and the awaited diagnosis. It confirms what an athlete’s heart already so often knows. The extent and severity of injury.

I should probably first introduce myself. My name is Georgia Wilson and I’m a 22-year-old Australian Hockeyroos Player from Perth. If one was to ask me to describe my life I would summarise it in the form of cooking, meditating, playing stick ball (aka field hockey) and treating myself to the weekly episode of Great British bake off. Another activity of late I’m surprisingly beginning to enjoy is rehab.

Why you should ask? Because I’m currently undertaking an intensive twelve-month knee rehabilitation for a full anterior cruciate ligament rupture. Twelve months is a rather long time when you really stop and think about it. Three months longer than a pregnancy as my mum would tell you.

I tore my ACL earlier this year on the 10^th January. I had just completed my first grueling six-week pre-season with the national squad and achieved a personal best beep test score the day prior to the injury. What I’m really trying to say is that I had worked hard and was feeling good.

The injury event itself remains relatively fresh despite extensive attempts to erase it from my memory. A movement pattern I’d experienced numerous times before saw my feet become entwined with an oppositions stick and after falling to the ground and attempting to stand back on my feet, I distinctly noticed an internal instability deep within my knee. Our team physiotherapist performed the renowned ACL test and I immediately sensed his concern.

He knew. I knew.

I had only ever encountered one other severe injury two years earlier, managing a 15cm, grade 2+ hamstring tear three weeks prior to my first major international tournament and I prepared myself to repeat the long night of heartache that lay ahead, BodyICE pack beside me.

The following day, the MRI scan confirmed our doubts and set in place a reality shift of what the next twelve months now involves.

No international competitions, no medals and no glory.

Instead a personal challenge to undergo surgery, learn how to re-walk, re-run, re-train and create an attempt to compete again for my country.

The good news? We’re six months through.

Stay tuned for the next update from Georgia. You can follow Georgia on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/georgia.s.wilson/