“I got taken down in a blood bag” — Sam Smith opened up about a skiing accident that left them unable to walk for a month

Sam Smith shared on the July 18 episode of BBC's Sidetracked podcast that they tore their ACL while skiing earlier this year. The injury left them unable to walk for a month, and they had to be rescued after skiing on a black slope.

Smith explained:

"I got taken down in a blood bag. It was the worst. It's a permanent thing."

As per the singer, their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) completely ripped leaving Sam unable to walk on the leg for a month. The singer also shared that instead of undergoing surgery, they took the non-surgical route for nursing their torn ACL.

According to the Mayo Clinic, an ACL injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament, strong bands of tissue that connect the thigh bone and the shinbone, gets torn or sprained. People usually feel a popping sensation on their knees when they experience an ACL injury.

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"I completely ripped my ACL"— Sam Smith

On the July 18 episode of BBC's Sidetracked podcast, hosted by Annie Macmanus and Nick Grimshaw, Sam Smith said that they'd been focusing on "mental stuff" for the last seven months. Around the same time, pictures circulated on social media of the singer sporting a knee brace and using the assistance of a cane to walk.

"I completely ripped my ACL. I was skiing. I was an idiot and went on a black slope on the second day," they said.

Smith continued:

"It's in between your bones and helps you jump and spring around. It completely ripped and I decided to go down the non-surgical route but I couldn't walk for a month on this leg and it was awful."

Sam Smith shared that this was the first time that they were unable to move. The singer mentioned that they were holding onto "a bit of weight" and were quite anxious as well. Therefore they took this as an opportunity to get their "s**t together".

Treatments for ACL injuries depend on the severity of the injury. Injured people can opt for non-surgical procedures and rehabilitation exercises or they can replace the torn tissue via surgery before going through with rehabilitation exercises. Cleveland Clinic states that it usually takes around six to nine months to recover from a torn ACL.

Elsewhere during the Sidetracked podcast, Sam Smith opened up about using their long music hiatus to recover both physically as well as mentally. The singer wiped their social media clean and even got rid of their old phone for a new one. It's the first time that the singer didn't have a library of music since they were 11. Sam Smith told the podcast hosts:

"I started again -- fully started again. I needed an American number and my phone was just full of people like exes and all these different people through the years."

They added:

"I took social media off. Everything. It's crazy. I find myself sitting on benches now in parks just looking at the trees."

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Sam Smith, who is currently on a hiatus and recovering in New York City, is all set to return to performing on stage at August's BBC Proms, which will take place at the Royal Albert Hall and other UK locations. The singer will perform at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday, August 2.