Alex Eilertson (St. Claire, MN) is currently attending college at the University of Northwestern - St. Paul and is pursuing a degree in accounting. The freshman is 6'10" and is a post player for the men's basketball team.
Eilertson suffered a knee injury that put him on the sidelines towards the end of the season. The Eagles were playing in River Falls, WI when Eilertson fell down and someone landed on his knee, hyperextending it. He ended up with an impaction fracture on his left knee and was on crutches for 3 months. He is now off crutches and is keeping up with physical therapy.
However, Eilertson's recovery time has been set back a few weeks after overdoing it. From his own experience, Eilertson says it is important not to push yourself too hard after coming back from an injury. He says, "Make sure you are fully healed before you go out and do stuff that you are going to regret later." He is hoping to be fully healed by the end of May to play with his team when they go to Spain.
Eilertson reflects on his experience saying, "It wasn't very fun, and it got boring just sitting there." According to the freshman, being on crutches was the most difficult part of the recovery process. He couldn't go everywhere he wanted or needed to without asking for help. Eilertson says, "If [he] wanted to walk or drive somewhere, the crutches were a factor in determining whether [he] would go or not."
The post player encourages other athletes in similar situations not to lose hope. He says, "Keep praying to God and everything will work itself out."
Listen to the full podcast version here https://jaedenmetcalf.wixsite.com/sportrecovery/podcast/episode/c00d56af/alex-eilertson-podcast