Mark Reynolds: Footballer harnesses competitive nature to recover from ACL rupture

It's every football player's nightmare - rupturing your ACL but when Mark Reynolds ruptured his while playing for Aberdeen FC, because the initial pain subsided quickly he didn't realise the extent of the injury. The team physio was worried though and scans revealed the rupture. Find out how Mark found surgery, rehab and recovery.

With an incredible football career that began by walking onto the pitch for his home team Motherwell, to playing for Sheffield Wednesday, Aberdeen, Dundee, and now Cove Rangers it was brilliant to welcome Mark to Surgical Goals. During such a long career it was inevitable there would be injuries and Mark ruptured his ACL and shoulder AC joint. He explains to us how the injuries happened and what they felt like at the time and then how his recoveries went.

Both times Mark referred to Prof Mackay and had InternalBrace surgery as he was keen for minimum down-time and the technique offers an accelerated recovery. It is really interesting listening to Mark explain how he then turned his ultra-competitive nature into acing his rehab with the help of Adam Stokes and the club physio team.

This leads us to a fascinating conversation about the insecurity of sport as a career and Mark, also a qualified engineer, is only too aware of this, and he is a vocal advocate of allowing young players to also follow academic dreams. 

Another really fascinating episode of Surgical Goals.

Thanks for listening - follow us on X and Instagram or head to our website for more info
X
Instagram
Website

Chapters

• 1:27 Mark and playing career
• 4:29 Understanding the insecurity of sport
• 4:51 Motherwell FC versus finishing education
• 6:05 Signing for Motherwell
• 7:21 Career highlights
• 8:35 Injuries
• 9:30 Shoulder AC rupture
• 9:40 Cruciate injury
• 10:34 Mechanics of cruciate injury
• 11:50 How the ACL injury felt at time
• 14:36 Scan results
• 15:59 Off to Gordon for surgery
• 17:14 How is it possible to feel fine with ACL rupture
• 18:57 Recovery is results driven
• 27:20 In 30s but fitter than ever
• 28:41 Biology in recovery from surgeons point of view
• 32:04 Adam Stokes & pyschology of recovery
• 35:41 Boxing background helped shoulder recovery
• 37:53 Training keeps you healthy in body and mind
• 38:48 Recovery and new signing with Dundee
• 43:03 Artifical surfaces - any bearing on injury?
• 46:07 Will you stay in football or branch out?
• 50:46 How it works at Cove Rangers
• 53:27 Football and education go hand in hand
• 54:45 Into the future