Cook Has Labrum Surgery; Expects to be ready for Season

In an interview with College Hockey Weekend, Maverick goalie Phil Cook revealed that he had a successful surgery on his torn labrum in his hip last month lasting approximately four hours. A torn labrum happens when the femur rubs up against the labrum, causing a tear. Cook’s condition was further complicated because of excessive bone growth in his hip that limits his range of motion and by the some of the motions he makes in net. All of these factors helped to contribute to the injury. Recovery from the surgery takes approximately four months, and he hopes to get the okay to skate in early August. In the interim, Cook has been undergoing rehab in Mankato.

Phil and his doctors can’t pinpoint exactly when the injury took place. However, they believe it was caused when he raised his leg after a play during the North Dakota series and he suffered a shooting pain in his right leg. The injury did not affect him for the rest of the game, and there was no pain when the Mavericks returned from the holiday break. Cook continued to play because he felt no pain, but was in close consultation with Maverick trainer Sean Donely about any pain and if his play was being affected by the injury. Cook agreed to have the surgery if it was affecting his play and hurting the team. According to Cook, he could still play in his butterfly stance while maintaining his range and full leg power. Interestingly, the only adaptation he made after the injury was extending his stretching routine to keep the labrum loose during practice and games. The decision on surgery was a mutual decision by both Donely and Cook once the season ended and the condition was finally diagnosed.

When asked about his rehab, Cook went into great detail about what he goes through to help heal his injury. There are a lot of range of motion exercises, leg lifts, and balance drills. Cook believes he is “going faster than he thought”. There are days where he wants to get on the ice but is being realistic about his timeline, which even if with minor setbacks, should allow him to be ready for the season and the October 4th exhibition against British Columbia.

-Andy Sorensen, CHW Blogger