Dwayne Wade’s recovery from recent knee surgery is going better than expected, and the Miami Heat All-Star guard has already returned to the court.
Wade, 30, sat out this summer’s London Olympics after undergoing surgery on his bothersome left knee.
But his rehabilitation is going so well that he’s back working out on the floor a week earlier than his rehab scheduled had anticipated.
Wade tweeted this week, “Whew .. first day on the court since my surgery.. oh and that look on my face was b4 the workout started .. haa.”
The eight-time All-Star even tweeted a picture of himself to prove it.
Wade had the knee scoped, but doctors found nothing out of the ordinary during the procedure. His knee had been bothering him throughout the season, leaving him to play with pain and recurring swelling throughout the playoffs. Wade averaged 22.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists over 23 playoff games to help carry the Heat to its first NBA championship, but the 6-foot-4 guard clearly wasn’t the same player. He had fluid removed midway through Miami’s second-round series against Indiana and needed treatments several times per week during his team’s title run.
Wade’s recovery time from the surgery is expected to last from six to eight weeks.
Heat team physician Dr. Harlan Selesnick performed the procedure, which took approximately 20 minutes, at Doctors Hospital in Coral Gables, just outside Miami.
Wade’s initial recovery timetable didn’t have him resuming any on-court activities until early September. Miami opens training camp on Sept. 9, but Wade’s minutes are expected to be limited in the preseason.
The recent signing of Ray Allen should allow Wade plenty of added time for his recovery.
Wade underwent a previous surgery on the same knee in May 2007. He later led Team USA in scoring at the Beijing Olympics, averaging 16 points per game despite coming off the bench.
Wade is expected to be fully recovered by the time the reigning world champions open the regular season against the visiting Boston Celtics on Oct. 30.
