Kevin Nash has reflected on the serious quadriceps injury he suffered at the age of 42, revealing that he was initially warned he may never make a full recovery.
Speaking on Kliq This, Kevin Nash recalled being given the concerning prognosis after tearing his quadriceps. The injury occurred in 2002 and resulted in a lengthy rehabilitation process for the former WWE and WCW World Champion.
Nash said surgeon Dr James Andrews, who had previously operated on him, warned that he had never seen an athlete of Nash’s age completely recover from such an injury.
“For me, it was like when I tore my quad, and Andrews came in. And Andrews had put me together a couple of different times, and Andrews came in and said, I just want to tell you, I’ve never had a 42-year-old athlete come back 100 per cent from a quad tear.”
The news was particularly concerning for Nash because his other leg was already dealing with significant wear and tear.
“I’m thinking, wow. Like my other leg’s already pulverised. Now my good wheel’s f***ed up. Like I might not be able to do this.”
Kevin Nash Details Difficult Recovery From Quad Injury
Kevin Nash explained that surgery involved drilling holes through his kneecap to reattach the damaged tendon, leaving him unable to put weight on the leg.
“I couldn’t put any weight on my quadricep whatsoever because that whole tendon was pulled down and they drilled holes throughout my patella, and it was just sutured in place, and it had to adhere to my patella.”
The WWE Hall of Famer spent around 40 days in a wheelchair. Nash, who weighed approximately 340lb at the time, also believes using traditional crutches contributed to the shoulder problems he experienced later in life.
Rehabilitation was further complicated by the condition of his other leg. Nash realised he had spent years placing the majority of his weight on the leg that eventually suffered the quad tear, meaning he effectively needed to rehabilitate both legs during his recovery.
“Not only do I have to start from scratch; when you do some straight-legged stuff beforehand, you get some strength, but in about 40 days I’ll start ranging and everything else and start making the actual comeback. I’m at the same time rehabbing my right leg so I can become functional, because I’m in a wheelchair.”
Nash remained in Alabama for more than 90 days rather than returning home, travelling between the Embassy Suites and HealthSouth as he worked towards his comeback.
He credited physical therapist Kevin Wolk with helping him through the process, noting that Wolk has been involved in several of his rehabilitation periods.
Nash also recalled Disco Inferno undergoing rehabilitation nearby at the same time. Looking back, Nash admitted he regrets not making more of an effort to support his friend during their respective recoveries.
“I remember going down with Disco and getting in the ring with him down at HealthSouth. They put a ring up down there. He was sitting down there doing the same thing I did, and it was just like I was such a s*** friend. I could have at least once a month come down and spent a day with him.”
