Derek Takai, DDS, On Deliberating Having ACL Reconstruction Surgery Or Not, The Rehab Process, and Lessons Learned

I am excited to share this week’s episode with Derek Takai, DDS, as he shares his story growing up playing sports, staying active as a busy working professional, and the lessons learned through overcoming injuries. He shares his love for jiu jitsu, as well as the price he has paid through sustaining injuries and the hard work it took to come back stronger than before. We talk about his experience rehabbing a severe ankle sprain and the process of going through ACL reconstruction surgery and the subsequent recovery process. He also shares his experience of getting multiple opinions regarding the ACL surgery. He weighed his options of living without an ACL and going through with the ACL reconstruction surgery. Derek ultimately decided to get the ACL surgery so that he could live the active lifestyle that he desires. We talk about prehab, the surgery experience, and what the recovery process was like to return to activities. The most interesting part of this episode was talking about the similarities and analogies between dental care and exercise, movement, and performance. I truly enjoyed explaining training concepts in different ways to help clarify the importance of developing a proper plan for each individual to elevate their performance. If you are a dentist, athletic trainer, physical therapist, strength coach, you will probably enjoy the movement nerd side of me in this episode. Listen in to this conversation and I hope you take home key points that help you to create the consistent habits that will improve your lifestyle. Enjoy!

Learn more about Derek Takai, DDS, and his practice on his website: https://www.kahaladentist.com/

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