Injured Titans captain Ryan James today made a significant forward on the long road to recovery from his ACL rupture by running on an underwater treadmill for the first time since his knee reconstruction.
While there is plenty of hard and monotonous work ahead on James’ rehabilitation program, the Bilambil junior ticked another box on his goal of being ready to join the main squad for Day 1 of the 2020 pre-season.
“Yeah, it’s going good,” James said. “It was my first run today here at Atlantis (Recovery Centre), and it was good to get running.
“It is a bit of a milestone and something different. It’s nothing that I’ve ever used before.
“It takes all the weight off the joints. It more works your hip-flexors, glutes and hamstrings. It takes all the gravity away.”
James clutched at his right knee during the early stages of the Titans Round 6 match against the Newcastle Knights and is focused on a strong return next season.
“Today was my very first run – my first run in about 12 weeks,” he said. “It doesn’t mean much to everyone else, but it’s a bit of a milestone for me.”
While the weeks have been slow and frustrating, a couple of minor issues have seen the forward really enjoy moments and achievements like today.
“I’ve had two little setbacks, but it’s fine now,” he said. “Everything feels strong, and that’s the most important thing.
“It’s good to get the motion back and over the next few weeks we can hopefully work up towards running on a normal treadmill.”
