“Walking On One Crutch”: Gymnastics Sensation Drops Major Health Update Highlighting Post-Surgery Struggles

With impressive gymnastics, an English artistic gymnast of Irish and Azerbaijani descent won over admirers all over the world. The European all-around champion competed internationally for Great Britain and achieved a career-high point at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the team event. However, at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, she suffered a “full tear” of her anterior cruciate knee ligament.

The injury put her hopes of competing in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris under serious jeopardy. Meanwhile, back home from her surgery, the gymnast was hopefully documenting her baby steps on social media.

Gymnastics standout undergoes career-altering journey

Olympian Jessica Gadirova recently posted a candid—“Morning Routine 😴☀️(Post Surgery addition)“ captioned reel on Instagram, giving followers a close-up view of her day-to-day struggles as she recovers from ACL surgery. Just one week following the procedure, the gymnast declared at the start of the day, “Today is officially one week post-surgery.”

Gadirova began with a seemingly insignificant but important task: brushing her teeth. Her readiness was evident in the video when she pulled her hair back into a sleek ponytail. Then, she moved the camera to the floor, sharing an update and said, “walking on one crutch now.” She then pointed to the fluffy white pillows on her bed sharing how she slept with her leg raised. She then went on to tell about the daily vitamins and medications and checked the ice pack to make sure there was enough of it.

In the final lap of her routine, the gymnast performed a number of mobility drills, such as hamstring stretches and sliding knee bends. Especially when faced with difficulties in specific exercises, Gadirova showed resilience saying, “That’s okay; these things take time” motivating herself. She concluded by sharing the advice to only walk or get up five to ten minutes every two hours. To say the least, the routine was a great start by Gadirova who keeps her fans posted about the recovery.

The peek into gymnast’s journey

Earlier this week, Gadirova gave her fans an unvarnished look at her post surgery update by sharing a number of photos. She shared the highs and lows of her rehabilitation journey while being transparent about her recovery journey and warning viewers about potentially graphic content.

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With the 2024 Paris Olympics quickly approaching, Gadirova’s future on the gymnastics stage naturally comes to mind as she continues to heal. The gymnastics prodigy’s upbeat attitude surely keeps the anticipation alive, raising the question: Will Team GB’s star gymnast compete at the Summer Olympics?

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