Xavier McKinney

In November of the 2022 NFL season, I took a trip to Cabo, Mexico during our bye week. While on an ATV sight-seeing tour, I made a right-hand turn that caused the Can Am I was driving to tilt over. I put my arm down to try and brace my fall and the top bar of the vehicle landed on my hand, completely smashing three of my fingers.

Being rushed to the hospital in Mexico was a nerve-wracking experience for me. With my hand being as mangled as it was, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to leave without getting surgery first. After consulting with my team of doctors at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), they assured me that traveling back to New York for surgery was the safest and best option. Being able to talk to them was extremely helpful, as they walked me through the process from afar and helped the doctors in Mexico prepare me for the trip back to New York.

Given the nature of the injury and the amount of swelling that could occur, it was a complex surgery. But I felt comfortable that Dr. Hotchkiss would get me back on track, and he did a great job restoring the anatomy of my hand. From there it was a long road to recovery, beginning with getting my motion back. My doctors and physical therapists developed a plan that struck a balance between letting my hand heal and restoring the movement in my fingers, but I was eager to get back on the field. With pins still in my hands from the surgery, I told my doctors that I was playing in the next game. But as days went by and I realized how difficult and painful it was to do just about anything, I knew I had to prioritize my recovery. I rehabbed all day every day, whether that was at the Giants facility or with my team at HSS.

When I first began rehab, my hand was super tight and couldn’t move. With the help of Aviva Wolff, certified hand therapist at HSS Paramus, I worked on increasing the span, opening up my fingers, and making a fist. Slowly but surely, my strength and range of motion was improving. During that time, I was in and out of the hospital almost every day to get my hand checked. I was determined to make my return to football and be there for my team. By the end of December, I was participating in practice, and by January 1, 2023 I was back on the field for our matchup against the Colts. Dr. Hotchkiss and his team developed a flexible splint that protected my hand but still gave me the range of motion I needed to catch the ball and make tackles. After winning that game, we advanced to the Wildcard Weekend game against the Vikings. Late in the fourth quarter, I was able to make a play on fourth down that sealed the win for us. It was a full circle moment and a chance to reflect on what I had overcome in the past few months.

Adversity is something we all face throughout our lives. Though we can’t control the obstacles we endure, we can control how we respond. My bounce back from an unexpected injury and my successful return to the sport I love wouldn’t have been possible without Dr. Hotchkiss’s ability to repair my hand and the rest of the HSS team’s commitment to supporting me throughout my recovery.