Steven's Tayl Of Recovery: Part Two

Newcastle United defender Steven Taylor is currently recovering from a ruptured Achilles, suffered on New Year's Day against Burnley. While sidelined, the 29-year-old has agreed to write a regular blog for nufc.co.uk, and in the second instalment Taylor tells all about getting out of his protective boot, the "golden tool" of recovery, and physio Derek Wright's watch...

It's been ten weeks since I ruptured my left Achilles, and I am finally out of the protective boot I have been wearing following surgery.

It may sound stupid but you completely take for granted something as simple as walking when you can't do it.

I felt absolutely useless to begin with and was getting angry with myself, because your brain is telling you to do things that your leg cannot do.

Simple tasks, like having a shower, were ten times harder; having to hobble into the shower, sit on a seat, wash yourself, get out, be careful of the wet bathroom floor with your crutches and then try to dry yourself.

It has been taking me ages to get ready in the morning, but I'm a proud person and I don't want help from anyone.

My parents can't do enough for me, but I'm a big believer in standing on my own two feet - excuse the pun - and not feeling sorry for myself.

The lads and staff here don't let you feel sorry for yourself, so there's no chance of that happening anyway!

Now I'm out of the boot, everything is a bit more back to normal and I've been working as hard as I can on strength exercises in the gym.

Every day I'm coming in around 9am and working on the rowing machine and the Alter G machine, then going to the swimming pool, where I'm walking in the pool and doing heel raises, getting movement in my ankle again and building confidence.

The Alter G machine is an expensive piece of equipment, but it's probably the best thing we have in the gym - myself, Ryan Taylor and a few others will testify that.

You stand on the treadmill and step into what looks like a tutu or a nappy. It inflates with air and starts off by taking 100 per cent of your bodyweight.

From there you can bring it down to whatever you need to work at, and it gives you confidence to go through your different movements.

It's the golden tool for me in my recovery.

I'm working with our senior physiotherapist, Derek Wright, and that's good because he was there when I ruptured the Achilles on my right-hand side three years ago.

He's been there and done it with me before, so I'm confident with him alongside me and he really helps push me on.

Sometimes, if I feel I can go harder I will tell him, and other times if I'm not in the mood for it he won't let me cut the sessions short and makes sure I'm sweating buckets at the end of it.

Derek's sessions can last for up to three hours, and I'm not sure he owns a watch - or if he does, it must be broken!

I'm currently a little bit ahead of schedule, which is good, but I'm not going to rush myself back and maybe suffer further problems. Instead, I'm aiming towards being back at pre-season training at the start of July.

I will train throughout the summer, while everyone else is off on their holidays, and come back hungry and ready to make up for lost time.

It's frustrating when you're around the lads at the training ground, having breakfast and having banter, and then they go outside to train and you can't go with them.

It does hurt you but it makes me even more determined to get fit and get out there.

Matchdays are hard as well and I don't find watching games easy, especially when we're trying so hard to get into the top ten and I want to desperately be a part of that.

It's something I know we can achieve and we have more than enough quality to achieve it. We just have to put another run of results together over the final ten games of the season.