Adelaide defender Wayne Milera says maintaining a positive attitude is helping him get through, as he recovers from a long term knee injury.
Milera was ruled out for the season after he ruptured the patella tendon in his right knee in the Crows’ Round Three clash against Fremantle.
Undergoing surgery in April, the 26-year-old has worked through his rehabilitation program over the past three months, all while remaining connected with the group and ticking off his own strength goals.
“I’m at about the three-month mark (post surgery) and everything is progressing nicely,” Milera told AFC Media.
“I’ve just started to get back on the bike, so it’s been great to get my legs moving again after a long lay-off.
“Having gone through the injury before, it’s been good to know what to expect and I’ve been able to find ways to undergo the recovery process a bit better this time around.
“The early stages of the recovery have been really positive, and hopefully that can continue throughout the whole rehab.”
Along with making physical progressions, Milera is using his time away from the game as a chance to improve himself in the mindset space.
He said coming to the Club with a smile has been a key focus throughout his recovery.
“Right at the beginning of the process, the biggest focus I had was attacking the long rehab process with the best mindset possible,” Milera said.
“For me that has been to be as positive as I can, coming into the Club with a smile on my face, and attacking all the recovery exercises in the best frame of mind.
“If I can bring a positive attitude to the Club and help lift the guys around me, whether they be in the rehab group or not, that’s been my way of trying to contribute while not being out on the field.”
Milera says a key reason for his positive attitude has been the influence of his family and life away from the Club.
“My wife and little (son) Carter have been massive for me, I go home and don’t even think about footy, which has been great for me,” Milera said.
“It’s a great release for me, and it gives you the perspective that there is much more to life than just footy.”
Looking ahead to the next phases of his recovery process, Milera was hopeful of being able to run soon.
“I’ve got two weeks left of the block I’m in at the moment and then I’ll move into the next phase, which will be all about building strength back up in my quad,” Milera said.
“From there it will be progressing to running, which if things keep going the way at the moment should hopefully happen at around the end of the season.”
