Derek Hough Writes On His Injury, Dancing With The Stars, Healing, And More
Copied and pasted from Pure Derek Hough. If you’d like to know the latest and even more about Derek’s condition see this link.
Derek has a written a new blog at TV Guide. He talks of his “fluke” accident, his injury, and what’s happening on Dancing With The Stars. “Withdrawing is not an option” and he’s “taking it one day at a time”. Read on for more. What a Guy…and it’s so good to hear from him!
The good news is I’m healing quickly. I don’t need surgery or anything. I’m already off the crutches, which is really good. I’ve been doing physiotherapy and rehab, and it’s very promising. I’m just trying to be careful because I have a busy year still left. I just want to make sure I’m 100 percent in shape. I talked to my physio and he said, “There’s gonna come a time where you feel good and you feel like you can dance. But remember you still have a tear in your ankle and a broken toe.” I’m trying to be smart and intelligent about it and make sure I truly am feeling good. It’s one thing if you heal something like this and you’re just going about the day, walking again, but dancing is a different beast. You twist and turn and jump and flip. It’s a whole different level of recovery that you need to achieve.
Nastia’s been rehearsing with Sasha this week. I’m still choreographing the routine and I’m in all the rehearsals. We’re figuring out some different little things to do. We’ll make it fun and interesting. Sasha’s doing a great job. It’s cool because we have the modern Charleston this week and he’s got some good ideas.
Withdrawing was never an option. Dancing with the Stars is not about me or any pro. It’s about the celebrities. It’s their journey. I’m part of the journey, but it’s not my journey. I want Nastia to have the best possible chance of winning. You know, she makes it look easy, but we put the work in. You see some of it, but I think a lot of people overlook the amount of work we put in and how much goes into putting together a routine and teaching and learning it. She’s a very hard worker and very determined, and I definitely feel like she can go all the way. There are other factors in play, but I feel like she can win.
I’m just kind of taking it one day at a time right now. I have never broken a bone in my body before, so that’s the only thing I’m not used to because I literally can’t push through it. Maybe I’ll wake up tomorrow and be magically healed! I’m really doing everything I can to recover as quickly as possible. I’m still doing cryotherapy, taking some herbs, I have topical medication that makes the skin heal faster. Whatever it takes! I’ll probably never look at ice the same way again though! I know you’re thinking I should’ve just asked someone to get ice for me, but you know, that’s me in a nutshell. Instead, I hobble and fall down the stairs! It’s like the universe was saying “sit down” the first time and I didn’t listen, so then it was like, “OK, now you really have sit down!” It sucks, but there’s always a reason for everything. I always say life doesn’t happen to you, it happens for you, so I just have to wait this out.
To read the full blog, see TV Guide.
I’m so happy for him. My heart feels lighter. Week 8 is trio week I think, I hope Derek, Sasha, and Nastia dance together
Great blog..Part of me thinks they should reschedule dates for the move tour (the may dates to another time) because there isn’t much of a break between the end of dwts and the beginning of the move tour.
I don’t know if you’ll ever see this derek, but you should try acupuncture! It helps with blood circulation, and the blood has healing properties. It’s the body’s way of healing itself.
But I love derek’s positive attitude about life. I want to be more like him SO much. And I love the way that he recognizes that the journey/mirrorball is for the CELEBRITY, not the pro. It’s supposed to be about the celebrity, and I think some pros and even some fans forget about that.
Jenny you could always send a tweet or comment on a pic of his…he is probably likely to see it that way..
I’m so happy he’s taking sometime to fully heal and not rush back into things but this sentence really stood out to me:
“Withdrawing was never an option. Dancing with the Stars is not about me or any pro. It’s about the celebrities. It’s their journey. I’m part of the journey, but it’s not my journey.”
it just puts things into perspective that this show is about the CELEBRITY and not the pro, and I feel like certain pros or people in the pros “circle” have missed this point.
#jessica. Yes, and others, like, say, Len Goodman. His first night declaration was so ridiculous, and also insulting to celebs not partnered with Val.
I like that Derek was so specific in this blog. It states clearly who is doing what, etc. so that others can’t spin it some other way. I loved the part about the purpose of the Pro.
I loved that part too, NL!!
I just love this young man’s heart so much. I am trusting God to answer my prayers and show Derek that having your heart in the right place can move mountains. I love your attitude Derek Hough and you will be back on your feet before you know it.
what a great post he wrote. Love the way he gives Sasha props and how he makes it all about Nastia’s journey on the show. Would love her to win this season.
Move doesn’t start this time around until June 12th, so he should have enough time…especially since he’s already off crutches.
Best thing in this blog is “There are other factors in play, but I feel like she can win.” – he totally understands the games that TPTB are playing and he just accepts it and keeps delivering a great experience for his star – Derek is so great.
Also, maybe we need to stage an intervention. I remember years ago (I am afraid to admit how many) I was in London and David Beckham had an ankle injury before a World Cup (I think) game. One of the morning shows put up a picture of his ankle up on screen and asked the public to all put their hands on the TV over his ankle to will it better. Not sure if it worked, but why not, right?
Derek’s heart (and head) is always in the right place. He knows what the show is all about and how produced it is. He never lost sight that it’s about Nastia’s journey. It’s not about him–something that some pros/fans ought to remember.
Was it just me or was Derek subtly and perfectly throwing some serious shade in this blog? I loved that he not only made the statement about DWTS being about the celebs and not the pros but also hit on their hard work together not being shown and then the whole “there are other factors at play” part.
One of Derek’s traits I admire the most is that he has an uncanny ability to call people out on their BS but do it in such a professional PC way that you don’t even realize he’s just nailed you.
Love Derek’s blog, and I smirked when I read the sentence, “There are other factors in play, but I feel like she can win.” You can’t say it much better than that. I’m sure he tells Nastia that every week so that she’s always prepared for the crap that rolls off the Stooges tongues and the WTF scores they toss around.
Great blog~ I’m glad Derek mentioned the hard work he & Nastia put into every routine. They’ve been amazing, yet the scores & judges comments always fall short. I admire his determination & positivity through it all.
He definitely threw some shade at TPTB & the judges IMO~ One of his strengths is he makes the journey about his partner & creates the routine around their strengths! He learned that early on which IMO is why he’s the winningest pro on the show. He’s right, she definitely has the capability of winning!! Nice nod to Sasha..
I’m so happy to see that his recovery process is moving rather quickly & he’s not rushing it either. Looking forward to this weeks performance for Team Houghkin. 🙂
Go Nastia&Derek (Sasha)
Really great to hear he is healing well! However I wonder if it’s his big toe he broke. By the looks of the shoe/boot he is wearing and the way it was tapped in the picture of him in the ER. If indeed it is his big toe that is broken, that could put him out for a while because there’s not much you can do for it and it takes much longer to heal then the other four toes. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him out for a few weeks if that’s the case. But who knows, he’s Derek and he’ll come back as soon as possible. Also, if he were to dance on Monday like some people are hinting at, I’d think he would be back in NYC for NYSS already, no?
I don’t think it matters much whether it’s his big toe or not. I danced ballet most of my life and I have broken my big toe several times and I was usually back in pointe shoes in a week. It’s the way of life for a dancer. I’m honestly surprised this is the first broken toe he’s had but then the risk is probably far less in ballroom compared to ballet. But it’s not usually an injury that takes a dancer out for weeks as long as you can dance through the pain. I believe Mark danced on a broken toe for several weeks last season.
From the instagram pics Derek has been posting it looks like he is concentrating his therapy on his ankle which is the injury that could be the most damaging to his return. He can dance on a broken toe but not so much on a week ankle.
I guess it matters the severity of the break Michelle. I’ve broke my big toe and my doctor had me sit out completely for 6 weeks from sports because if it did not heal properly there could have been more damage done. I broke my small toe once and only had to stop doing exercise for 1 week. Derek did seem to be limping much more on his toe than his ankle in the video I have seen which got me wondering.
What a great blog! Love his positive attitude, I should learn from him. We all should. Great to heart he’s recovering. He won’t probably dance this Monday, which is actually good for him, but since I heard they dance a Paso to Centuries by Fall Ou Boy next week, I really wish he was back for it.
I really liked the part about celeb’s journey too. Every season, I feel like their (Derek and his celeb’s) journey is somehow special, every time in different way. I didn’t know why, I just felt it. Now I know what it is, Derek just decribed it perfectly. It’s because every season, Derek lets his partner shine and makes it all about HER and her unique journey. TBH, I really really hope Nastia will win after reading this blog.
I don’t know Amanda, I guess it would just seem weird to me for a dancer to sit out weeks for a broken toe. Then again I danced pointe and for me broken toes were just a way of life, along with bleeding toenails and ruptured skin. I would guess his break is not all that severe though considering he’s walking on it without crutches and driving with it and appears to even be wearing a regular shoe now on that foot.
Also, he’s been posting pics of his various therapy sessions on his ankle and with his feet bare you can see that the toe he broke looks a bit swollen on the tip but there is no heavy discoloration and no active swelling where the toe is connected to his foot. In my past experience that aligns with a standard break rather than a compound fracture or something more severe.
Besides the doctors always say “6 weeks” but you won’t find many dancers that will agree with that. lol
Yes Michelle I’m sure Derek will be back in less then 6 weeks, just don’t want rush him 🙂 As of today he was still wearing the boot on his foot in pictures I saw of him outside the DWTS studio though. That might just be for when he’s outside. His ankle actually had less rapping around it which is good.
In my opinion the way a lot of dancers abuse their bodies and ignore their injuries (and the expectation in the community that they should do so) is just foolish. There are injuries you dance through and others you don’t. Every injury is different and I don’t think it’s reasonable to compare one with the other especially if you don’t know the specifics. All the DWTS pros, Derek included, have danced through pain plenty of times, and I’m sure he’ll do so again. However, for once he seems to be behaving sensibly and I applaud that.
I hope Derek is not even considering dancing this Monday. He needs to get the healing well-established. Also, letting Sasha take to the DWTS floor once with Nastia would be a sweet way to tangibly acknowledge him for his unassuming, ego-free contribution to the team.
If Derek can get back to dancing in rehearsal with Nastia after this Monday’s show, he can see how the foot and ankle are holding up and then decide if it’s in Nastia’s best interest for him to dance with her in Week 8.
There was a bit of Derek’s version of shade, Michelle, but it is so gentle that it’s hard to be sure he’s actually thrown it. 🙂 Softball shade. And very accurate shade. I could tell by the way he was talking in the skybox and on All Access that Len’s comments REALLY bothered him. He knows BS when he sees it. Hell, I’ve watched that dance a few times and the accusation that it’s all fast fast fast, no slow, and too much rotation is utter bullshit. I couldn’t screen cap it as well as I did if that were true.
“I talked to my physio and he said, ‘There’s gonna come a time where you feel good and you feel like you can dance. But remember you still have a tear in your ankle and a broken toe’ I’m trying to be smart and intelligent about it and make sure I truly am feeling good. It’s one thing if you heal something like this and you’re just going about the day, walking again, but dancing is a different beast. You twist and turn and jump and flip. It’s a whole different level of recovery that you need to achieve.”
I am so glad that Derek explained the difference between being healed enough to go about your daily activities and being able to dance. And this will be one of his biggest challenges. At some point, maybe even today, he’s feeling like he’s able to dance, but his toe/ankle are not healed enough to dance, which of course, is much more strenuous than walking. In that short GMA clip we saw, Julianne referred to his injury as, “serious.” (Her word) Apart from a miracle, it’s going to take more than a week for Derek to start dancing full out again .
I thought he was throwing some shade too, but as Heidi said, it was so gentle, it’s hard to be certain. I know one thing, this guy understands more about what’s going on with this show than anybody. The “it’s his turn” pimping of Seasons 15 and 18 was something Derek experienced first-hand… and he knows it’s being said this Season. I agree that in his subtle way, he was addressing the “Nastia’s multiple partners” and “lack of rehearsal time” crap. But there’s another factor that I think he’s considering, regarding Nastia winning. And that is, the voting public. Derek knows that being a five time champ, makes it more likely that the viewers will want to see another pro win. I remember him saying during and after Season 16, how he was worried about some not voting because of this, and that was when he was just a three-time winner.
I don’t watch for the pro’s…this is actually the first season I have watched religiously in years…and that’s because I wasn’t really a fan of any of the celebs they were casting…the only reasons I am watching this season is because I am nastia fan and have been since 2008. And I love the pairing of her and derek..I think and hope this messes up any narrative they wanted to have for the show not just with nastia and derek but with val and rumer…gotta love when unexpected stuff happens…makes things more interesting.