David West Looking to Return by October

NBA.com—July 25, 2011   

For David West the trip to Orlando has been a welcome respite from the hours of rehab that West is doing in Raleigh, N.C., as he continues his recovery from a torn ACL in his left leg suffered last March 24 in Salt Lake City. Two to three times a day, five or six days a week, West is at the Athletic Performance Center in Raleigh, making rapid progress in his return. After his last visit two weeks ago to New York to see Dr. David Altchek of Hospital for Special Surgery, who performed the surgery, West's prognosis is now that he'd be ready for the start of the 2011-12 season.

"The way I'm looking at it, by October, I should be fully healthy," West said Monday morning. "When I go see Dr. Altchek in October, he should be giving me clearance to go out there and do my thing."

West was fortunate. His injury did not require microfracture surgery. He has not suffered any anterior knee pain, a common malady during rehab. And ACL tears are becoming, if not commonplace, an injury whose recovery time has been reduced significantly in recent years, thanks to improvements in surgery and changes in philosophy. 

For West, the monotony of rehab is tempered by what lies ahead.

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