Yahoo Lifestyle Alex Smith’s wife shares touching video of his recovery one year after horrific leg injury
Alex Smith still has a long way to go in his recovery after suffering a horrific leg injury last season.
Yet exactly one year after that brutal injury that flipped his lengthy football career upside down, Alex’s wife, Elizabeth, shared an emotional video on Instagram showing just how far the 35-year-old has come.
Alex Smith broke his fibula and tibia last year, and was rushed off the field to a local hospital for emergency surgery immediately after going down. In total, the 35-year-old needed 17 surgeries and battled an infection in his leg, which extended his initial hospital stay.
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The veteran quarterback spent time in a wheelchair and wore an external fixator — a large metal external device connected to his bone that stabilized his leg — for more than seven months. He was stuck using crutches, walkers and more throughout his recovery, too.
But in Elizabeth’s video, fans can see Alex’s rehab progress, working on drills and exercises in various casts and boots before it finally ends with him sprinting on a treadmill.
Given the severity of his injury, many never thought a return like that would even be possible.
Alex still has $31 million guaranteed over the next two years of his contract with the Redskins, and has repeatedly said he hopes to make a return to the field, whenever that may be.
“I’m still determined [to play], still marching down the road, still optimistic,” he told Yahoo Sports in July. “I want to push it, for the challenge’s sake. I want to see what I’ve got.”
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