In his first public appearance since his knee surgery. . .well, if you don't count those New Year's party pictures from his Twitter account. . .Minnesota Vikings' running back Adrian Peterson took the podium at Winter Park yesterday and discussed how his rehabilitation from that surgery was going.
Peterson said his knee hurt a lot in the week or so after the surgery, which is normal according to Certified Athletic Trainer Eric Sugarman™. Peterson also said that his goal is still to be back in time for Week 1 of the 2012 NFL season for the Vikings.
Sugarman described Peterson's rehabilitation as a five-phase process, and Peterson has already completed the first phase of that after going through the initial two weeks of pain. He is no longer using crutches to walk and has had his surgical sutures removed. He is also now working on his range of motion and strengthening his quadriceps. In the next phase, AP will continue working on his range of motion and get rid of the brace he wore to Winter Park.
This is a story that we will certainly be keeping track of throughout the course of the off-season, and getting back in time for the 2012 season opener might be a tall order. But, if any player in the National Football League is capable of it, it's #28 in purple.