Okay so back in January, I totally screwed up my ankle playing basketball. Like, stepped wrong coming down from a rebound and heard this nasty pop. Hurt like crazy. Went to the doc, got X-rays – no break, thank goodness – but bad ligament sprain. Doc said “Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation… and you need rehab.” Gave me a handout with exercises that looked, honestly, boring as heck.
Bored my brains out for a couple weeks just icing and trying not to walk much. Felt stiff as a board. Saw this ad online for something called Sportsurg Club. The name sounded kinda intense, like surgery club? Weird. But the tagline said “Active Rehab for Athletes.” Figured, hey, I run around chasing a ball, maybe that’s me. Clicked to see what the fuss was about.
Found out it’s not surgery-related at all. The “surg” part is short for “surgery” wink but it’s more like… movement-focused rehab? Their whole thing is getting you moving safely again ASAP instead of just lying around. Sounded better than my handout exercises. Signed up for an intro week. Kinda pricey, but figured my ankle was worth it.
So what did I actually do?
First session was an assessment. This guy, Marco (therapist? coach? kinda both?), watched me walk, bend, squat – basically every simple move hurt my ankle. He poked around my ankle too, gently. Said things like “tissue mobility” and “proprioception deficit.” I just nodded like I knew what he meant. Mostly understood “ankle weak and unstable.”
Then we got started. Right there in the session:
- Started stupid simple: Like, just rolling my ankle slowly in circles while sitting. Felt silly, but actually kinda burned after a minute.
- Used this wobble board thing: Standing on one leg (my good one!) on a wobbly disk. Yeah, felt dumb, nearly fell off. Marco caught my arm. Then tried the bad ankle… holy smokes, shaky as jelly. He said that was normal. Goal was to just try to balance for like 10 seconds. Barely made 5.
- Pushed a sled!: Sounds hardcore, right? Nah. It was a little sled with maybe 10 pounds on it. On smooth turf. Marco made me walk pushing it slowly, focusing on how my foot pushed off the ground. Weirdly, having that little thing to push against helped me feel more stable walking than just trying to walk by myself.
Every session was like this:
- Start with gentle stuff to get moving.
- Do stuff standing on the bad ankle on unstable surfaces (so many wobble boards!).
- Do some pushing/pulling exercises (sleds, light bands, weird ropes).
- Always finishing with icing and some stretching.
The constant was controlled movement, not just static holds. Even when it was hard, I was doing something active.
What it felt like as it went on
Honestly, after week 1, I was sore! But a different kind of sore. Not the “ouch my ankle’s broken” pain, more like muscles actually working for the first time in weeks. Marco kept stressing “Pain-free range”. Meaning, if it hurt sharp, stop. If it was just muscle burn, that’s kinda the point. Had to check my ego at the door. My ankle wouldn’t magically be NBA-ready overnight.
Slowly, the wobble board became easier. Like, maybe hold balance for 20 seconds without wildly windmilling my arms. Started adding tiny hops – controlled landing drills off the good leg first, then landing on the bad. Felt terrifying! Marco spotted me super close at first. Kept adding tiny bits of weight to the sled push. Felt weirdly satisfying to “load” the ankle safely.
By week 4, I was walking normally without thinking about it. Like, no limp! Still had work to do to run or jump confidently, but the everyday stiffness was gone.
So what’s my take on this Sportsurg Club thing?
For folks like me who messed up playing sports or just being active, it makes sense. It’s not magic. It’s work. But it’s work that feels active, not just lying on a table or doing boring heel raises. They push you, but safely. You feel progress quicker ’cause you’re moving.
Would I recommend it? If you’re bummed out sitting still after an injury and just doing dumb home exercises, absolutely yes. It’s like personalized gym time with someone watching you like a hawk so you don’t re-injure yourself. It got me doing things again much faster than just resting ever would have. My ankle feels strong now. Next goal: get back on that court without hearing that pop!
