For former NFL tight end Kyle Rudolph, sports injuries were a part of life from a young age.
“I had my first sports injury in third grade when I broke my arm wrestling,” Kyle said. “I fractured my humerus and dislocated my elbow, which required surgery.”
While that injury ended his wrestling career, he went on to become an accomplished high school basketball and football player, before signing on to play tight end for the University of Notre Dame.
“In college, I had surgery for a separated shoulder in my sophomore season and had to miss the last four games, which was the worst part,” Kyle said. “In football, we only have 12 opportunities to go out and play, so you don’t want to miss any of them.”
Then, a torn hamstring, which also required surgery, ended his time at Notre Dame. But Kyle recovered and performed so well at Pro Day that the Minnesota Vikings drafted him.
“I am a very stubborn patient,” Kyle said. “I push things and when I set my mind to something, I do it.”
That tenacity, along with drive and talent, propelled Kyle through 12 seasons in the NFL playing mostly for the Vikings, but also for the New York Giants and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In a sport where the average player retires after just over three years in the league, Kyle had a remarkable career, including being selected for two Pro Bowls.
“My body has been my livelihood, but I’ve also had a lot of injuries, so I have worked hard to recover so I could perform at my best,” Kyle said. “In the NFL, we’ve got incredible doctors, but most people don’t have a team of people to take care of you. I’m going to tell you, don’t Google your injuries. Go to Arthrex’s OrthoPedia Patient site, so you get accurate information and connect with a great surgeon.”
NFL data shows that nearly 70% of professional football players sustain an injury during any given season, with nearly half of them citing injury as the reason they eventually retire from the sport. So, when Kyle suffered a serious high ankle sprain in 2017, he was determined not to let it stop him.
“I was hell-bent on not missing a game,” Kyle said. “We [the Minnesota Vikings] had won 10 games and lost only three at that time. We were fighting for the No. 1 seed that season.”
Kyle didn’t miss a beat, playing three games on that injured ankle, which he already knew would require surgery when the season ended.
“I can do anything for three weeks, I decided,” he said. “I can get through those and do what I need to for my team. Surgery was coming, so it’s not like I could make it any worse. People say it’s better to break your ankle than have a high ankle sprain, because it takes so long to heal and often remains unstable.”
After the season ended, Kyle turned to J. Chris Coetzee, MD (Edina, MN), who repaired his ankle using the Arthrex Syndesmosis TightRope® XP implant system, which supports the ankle as it heals, while still allowing the joint to maintain range of motion.
“In the old days, we used two screws to fix the syndesmosis, but they limited motion,” Dr. Coetzee said. “We almost always had to remove the screws when athletes returned to sports like football, because the screws would eventually break.”
Now, with the Syndesmosis TightRope implant system, the dynamic fixation changes that equation.
“We are able to maintain mobility in the ankle joint and move patients into rehab much quicker. The TightRope implant also protects the repair, with a much lower risk of reinjury,” Dr. Coetzee said.
And less than three months post-surgery, Kyle was back on the football field.
“Thanks to my Arthrex Syndesmosis TightRope implant – I call them my ropes – I was out of a cast in two weeks and within 10 weeks I was fully cleared for practice in the NFL,” Kyle said. “Almost 10 years later, I’ve had no problems and my ankle never bothered me again.”
Today, Kyle is retired from the NFL and spends his time with his wife Jordan, their twin daughters Andy and Finn, and their sons Henry and Crosby. He also launched a successful nonprofit fundraising platform called Alltroo that has raised nearly $16 million for a variety of charities in just three years.
“I wanted to leverage my platform for good,” Kyle said. When he was just 15 months old, his brother was born with neuroblastoma, so he grew up seeing what life is like in children’s hospitals. “It’s always been important to me to make a difference in other people’s lives. Alltroo lets me do that on a much larger scale.”
Kyle is also dedicated to maintaining his fitness and mobility, while encouraging others to do the same.
“I was fortunate to play as long as I did and get out healthy,” Kyle said. “There is life beyond the NFL. I got to play for 12 years, but I retired at 33, so the best thing I can do is stay active and work out, particularly after all the injuries I had.”
And now, he is encouraging others who suffer orthopedic injuries to seek out excellent care like he had.
“As a professional athlete, when I got injured, I didn’t even have to think about finding good care,” Kyle said. “For most people, that’s not the case. Whether you’re a parent or a patient, you need to do your research. Fortunately, we have this great resource now to connect you with surgeons who have the training and the experience to treat orthopedic injuries safely and effectively with Arthrex products and techniques.”