Injured Crow Taylor Walker will today have a traditional hamstring graft to repair his ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL),
During the operation surgeons will also perform a procedure incorporating tissue from a deceased donor to reconstruct the lateral ligament in his right knee.
Walker sustained both injuries – a ruptured ACL and damage to the lateral aspect of his knee – after landing awkwardly in an aerial contest in the first quarter of Adelaide’s loss to Carlton in Round Five.
On Monday, the 23-year-old will have a conventional knee reconstruction. He’ll also have an ‘Allograft’ where donor tissue that has been stored in a tissue bank will be used to replace the damaged lateral ligament. The Allograft eliminates the need to take grafts from both of Walker’s hamstrings.
Walker explained the procedure to the Triple M Rush Hour.
“I’m getting a hamstring graft for my ACL and an Allograft for my lateral ligament. It basically means I get a ligament from a donor who has passed away,” Walker said.
“I think a couple of the Collingwood boys used Allografts for their ACLs, but I’m just going to use the Allograft for my lateral ligament.
“It was funny. ‘Bicks’ (Crows assistant coach) Mark Bickley came up to me on Tuesday and said, ‘I’ve got the best hamstrings going around at this Club, do you want to use mine?’
“It’ll be good to get the operation done because it’s been a long week.”
Coach Brenton Sanderson said the decision for Walker to use an Allograft was based on the recommendation of surgeons and the Club medical staff.
“I know it sounds a bit gruesome, but it’s common practice now,” Sanderson said.
“I’m really comfortable with it.”
The ACL reconstruction carries the longer, 12 month, recovery time but Walker said it was the lateral ligament injury that would keep him off his feet initially.
“Because of my lateral ligament, I’ll be in a brace for about 12 weeks,” he said.
“Once I get out of that it’ll be a slow process. It’s a bit like the footy cliché; I’ll take it week by week. I didn’t even think about LARS at all. Trying to carry 102kg around is a bit too much for the LARS.”
Walker has already received plenty of support and advice from players, who have made successful returns from knee injuries.
“I spoke to Matthew Richardson because he did the same injury as me, with the lateral ligament as well,” Walker said.
“I spoke to Wayne Carey. Gerard Whateley sent me a message and a few guys from Geelong and Carlton, so it’s been really good. I also spoke to ‘Birdman’ (Brett Burton) up in Brisbane and he was good to have a chat to.
“Everyone has been really supportive.”
Walker has also been overwhelmed by the support he’s received from the entire football community, who have rallied to raise in excess of $50,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation in his ‘Mullet Over’ campaign.
“The support has been unreal. I went to the Club today and my pigeon hole was full of letters from supporters. All the text messages and tweets I’ve been getting over the last week has been unbelievable,” he said.
