Austin Ekeler on Return From Traumatic Hamstring Injury

Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler finally returned to practice on Wednesday after a particularly nasty hamstring injury.

Hamstring injuries are run-of-the-mill issuesfor professional athletes. Sometimes though, they can be devastating. Austin Ekeler described his hamstring tear as ‘definitely the most pain I’ve ever felt’. 

His tendon was torn completely off the bone, requiring platelet replacement therapy to fix. Technicians removed his blood, spun it with platelets and reinjected it into his body.

“The most (amount of blood) I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Austin Ekeler. 

“It made me nauseous”.

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He sustained the injury against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 4. His opponent tackled him low, “and I basically pushed them down and as pushed them down I jumped back.”

As he jumped back he felt a pain so severe that his trainers couldn’t even walk him off the pitch because he thought he was going to pass out.

“I couldn’t bring my leg in front of my left hip,” he said. 

“I could only go backwards. So I’d just be inching along backwards. It was three weeks before I could get some forward motion in my leg.”

It remains to be seen whether he will play against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. However, after 7 weeks of agony, Ekeler is desperate to get back on the field.

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“I’m so excited to put my helmet on,” he said Tuesday afternoon. “I might be a little rusty. I want to say I’m going to go out and kill it, but that’s not how it works.”

Ekeler recently signed a $24.5 million, four year contract extension with the chargers. Through the first four games of the season he had 49 carries and 248 yards. As well as that, he had 17 receptions for 144 yards.