Ben Goessling, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Kyle Rudolph says his rehab from sports hernia surgery is going well

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Tight end Kyle Rudolph, who had sports hernia surgery on Sept. 23 in Philadelphia, said his rehab program is going well; he is starting to do some upper-body weight work again.

Rudolph said he is still a ways from getting to the point where he can do some drills on the practice field, but he is optimistic about his progress to this point. A league source initially estimated Rudolph would be out six weeks; Tuesday would mark the halfway point in that timeline.

 "That's completely up to the guys in the training room," Rudolph said, when asked about when he could return to the practice field. "I'm just going to continue to do what I can. Today was better than yesterday; yesterday was better than the day before. As long as I have no setbacks, I'm going to continue to push as hard as I can, obviously under their control."

The sports hernia surgery was the fourth operation Rudolph has had in his career, he said. He missed half of last season with a broken foot but could still wind up playing more than half of this season if his rehab continues to stay on schedule.

"It's difficult, when you've got to go two weeks, almost two-and-a-half weeks, not doing anything but walking on a treadmill. It gets a little boring," Rudolph said. "But these guys have my best interests in mind. Any time you have surgery, you don't know -- am I doing too much? Am I behind? But it's reassuring to know you can go as hard as your body will let you, and you're not going to have setbacks. As long as those guys are allowing me to do stuff, you go as hard as you can."

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