Not to be outdone by his mom, Norwegian ski racer Aleksander Aamodt Kilde shared an update on his recovery on his own Instagram account. His mother Kristin had shared an emotional update on her social media channels just days before.
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde had crashed during the Downhill race on the Lauberhorn in Wengen, Switzerland, on January 13, 2024. The Norwegian skier crashed at full speed, just meters from the finish line, cutting his leg and dislocating his shoulder which also severed ligaments and damaged his rotator cuff.
Hi! ๐๐ป
Super happy to share that my wheelchair journey has come to an end as of last Friday. ๐ฅณ It was seven weeksโฆand those seven weeks were some of the most challenging of my life so far.
First of all, and most importantly: mentally itโs up and down, for sure. I have good daysโor better days-and worse days, so itโs really sort of the mental part of it is not so easy because thereโs not much happening. So every day you wake up and you do the same thingโฆand thatโs going to be life for the next bit. I am getting a little impatient, but itโs definitely going to be different when I get to walk again and be more independentโฆbecause I still need a lot of help.
And for my headโwhen I go from being totally independent and can do whatever I want physically and mentallyโitโs a tough battle. And also, Iโm always asking the question if Iโm able to really get back to 100% normal functioning in my body, which is not the best feeling. But Iโm also more calm in the situation, I know the trauma is something I need to work through. Iโm still thinking about the crash and what happened and what I need to work on to sort of accept it and move forward, but itโs hard to imagine skiing stillโฆwhich is, I think, totally normalโbut thatโs a question of how Iโm going to feel when I get back, or if I get back, or yeahโthese are questions I ask myself, itโs not the easiest situation to be in, but I do have a lot of nice things to look forward to and thatโs what Iโm focusing on now, and still try to take care of things I need to take care of and let everything else be how it is.
Physically, itโs small steps still, not really much happening regarding the development of things, but also a lot happening when it comes to the recovery side of it. Overall, I am experiencing far less pain, and the scars are healing really nicely-the surgeons did a great jobโฆwhen I look at it now, you can barely see the scars-especially on my calf/leg. So, thatโs really exciting, but also a little bummer that you canโt see the scar๐ .
Over the last few weeks Iโve made big gains, even though I can honestly say that when Iโm in it, it feels slow because I havenโt really been moving much. Two weeks ago I had my first days standing normal 50/50, which felt so so weird after not putting weight on it for so long. But, it was a huge step when you look at walking. The nerves are still pretty similar to where theyโve been, but have a tiny progress on my toes which is great.
Many of you asked about the treadmill I was using. The AlterG (Anti-Gravity Treadmill) has been a huge help for developingโฆyou put on sort of a neoprene shorts/wet suit shorts, which has a zipper on top and it pushes out air, and it lifts you up so you can adjust with the percent of your body weight. Itโs a great tool for me to be able to get back on my feet and walk again. I will use it quite oftenโat least until it feels totally normal to walk. Itโs probably been the best tool I have had to be able to get out of the chair. Plus, I got in the water for the first time the other day, that felt so good!!
As far as the shoulder goes, it is still relatively passive. I got an MRI again to check out the nerves, and of course thereโs some stretch in the nerve going from the top of the shoulder and around and back. So, itโs going to be interesting to see if I have contact with all of the muscles when I start using it actively, but thatโs also sort of a waiting game. A little bit of a slow process still, but I started actively working with my shoulder on Monday this week. I have a very limited range of motion, but itโs so nice to be moving.
I have way less pain, am sleeping better, and things feel a bit brighter, but Iโm still not able to be very active these days. There is a lot to look forward to and be thankful forโฆIโm moving into my new apartment, my parents are here, we have some great days, good dinners, good meals, getting a lot of visitors. Ragnhild and Kajsa were here last weekโit was so nice. I was able to hang with Lucas the other dayโฆnice to have his energy around again. Itโs super when you have colleagues that care so much about you. That also makes it really motivating to fight as hard as I can to get back on my feet.
Things are moving in the right direction, and thatโs really important and a good feeling.
Thank you so much for your support,
Aleks ๐๐ป
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