Former WWE superstar Kurt Angle recently let his fans know that he is on the journey to recovery after having both of his knees replaced.
The 53-year-old took to social media and posted a video of himself in a hospital bed, where he discussed his operation in detail. “This is your Olympic hero Kurt Angle and I’m in the hospital right now because I just had knee replacements done this morning,” he shared in the video. “I’m feeling pretty good right now but my legs are numb because of the epidural.”
Angle is no stranger to challenges and went on to cite his recovery process as just another hurdle in the road. Dedicated to helping himself, the wrestler explained, “So, I know I have a long road ahead of me and I’m willing to work very hard to get back to where I was before.”
In concluding his announcement, he thanked his fans and support system for showing unwavering encouragement during this difficult time. “I want to thank all of you for all of your support and your wishes and prayers for my surgery, I really do appreciate it. God bless you all,” he said.
Angle has experienced a handful of work-related injuries due to the nature of his sports. During the Olympic Trials in 1996, the ex-WWE wrestler broke his neck in the ring but still continued on to win the gold medal for freestyle wrestling. To this day, he still grapples with the consequences of a neck-related injury.
“My neck is not that great,” he said during an interview with WrestlingInc. “I have a lot of motor skill problems in my hands, my fingers because of my neck. Numbness down my arms, I have a lot of pain in my neck. I’ve been putting off fusion surgery for gosh, 15 years.”
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“I might not be able to put it off for much longer, I’m eventually going to have to have fusion,” Angle included. “I’ve had the quick fix surgeries just so I could get back in the ring again and the last one I did I think was 2015. I’m eventually going to have to have fusion, I’ve just been putting it off.”
Kurt Angle believes his previous injuries prepared him for a speedy recovery
However, if he can go through the motions of breaking his neck and continuously show stop in the ring, the athlete has proven himself to be one tough player. Given his background, he feels more than prepared to bring on the challenge of recovering from a double knee replacement.
“I realize rehab is going to be a bitch, but I’m ready for it,” he tweeted. “If I won a gold medal with a broken freakin’ neck, I can handle this! Lol. It’s true!!!! Thank you all!!!!”
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