Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Utah Jazzs' Mehmet Okur playing golf 3 months after Achilles Tendon repair

Even after a ruptured Achilles Tendon the Doctors at Gulfcoast Foot and Ankle can get you back into your golf game if you take the appropriate measures! Below is an article about Utah Jazzs' Mehmet Okur and his ruptured Achilles Tendon surgery.


Utah Jazz notebook: Mehmet Okur says 'so far so good' on rehab

By Jody Genessy
Deseret News
Published: Saturday, July 10, 2010 8:22 p.m. MDT


LEHI — Mehmet Okur can't do much about his basketball game right now.

The Utah Jazz center, however, was excited to work on his golf game Saturday afternoon at Deron Williams' charity tournament.

That might come as a surprise to some, considering he had surgery to repair his ruptured left Achilles tendon in April.

"Actually," Okur said when asked about golfing in his condition, "it's good for me."

Though he's been cleared to golf — and reap the benefits of walking the fairways — the injured center said he's "hoping" to be ready to join the Utah Jazz on the court in the preseason.

Okur even believes it's possible to play by the beginning of the NBA's regular season, which would be about six months after he ruptured the tendon in Denver. That would fit in the recovery time frame his doctor told him after his playoff-ending procedure.

"Like, so far so good," Okur said of his rehab. "Hopefully I'm going to be able to be back early and maybe catch up (in) the preseason games a little bit and go from there."

Okur still walks with a slight limp on his left side — something that the walking and golfing should help, he claims.

But the good news, he added with a smile, is that he no longer has to wear a walking boot on his right foot, something that was required for a while after he underwent surgery to repair the Achilles that ruptured during Game 1 of the Jazz's first-round playoff series against Denver. The tendon doesn't hurt anymore, either.

"Doing good," he said. "I'm a lot better."

Normally one to leave for his homeland of Turkey in the offseason, the surgery forced Okur to stay in Utah this summer. Along with golfing — a sport he played multiple times just last week — Okur has five rehab sessions a week. He said doing pool exercises and lifting weights has helped him get "a lot stronger."

Okur anticipates being able to start jogging, shooting and doing other things on the court in a month.

But he really has his eye on being fully healed for the season-opener.

"I'm hoping," Okur added. "I don't know what to say about my injury because I've never had such a long-time injury like that in my career."

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