Jungle Kyona Opens Up About Ongoing Struggles With Knee Injury

Jungle Kyona seemed primed for a breakout year in 2023. The former STARDOM star was coming off a successful tour on the U.S. independent scene during which she even popped up once on an episode of "AEW Dark." But all that progress will need to be on hold for the time being now that Kyona has to go under the knife. Earlier this week, she announced that she would be having surgery in April to repair a meniscus tear in her left knee. This would be Kyona's second major injury to that particular knee. The last time, when paired with a few other injuries, she was forced to miss a full year of action.  

Taking to Twitter on Friday, Kyona went in-depth on her physical struggles. "My injury is serious due to the failure of two surgeries and the after-effects of the second surgery," Kyona wrote. "I think that the failed part will get better with reoperation, but the cause of the after-effects is still unknown. Medical malpractice lawsuits are difficult, and instead of spending time and money blaming someone, I want to use it only for my knee to get better."

She further explained all the methods she's tried in the hopes of improving her status, but after not seeing any significant improvement, another surgery was the best option. "At the moment, orthopedic surgery has progressed to second opinion and third opinion. I also consulted [with] 10 other physical therapists, and tried osteopathic treatment, acupuncture, electrotherapy, and chiropractic treatment, but there was no prospect of recovery. Because of the pain in the knee, it is not possible to apply more than 20% of its original strength."

While Kyona would love to get back into the ring and resume wrestling one day, she acknowledged that due to the severity of her injury, that wasn't exactly her No. 1 priority. "I want to get back to my normal daily life," Kyona said. "Not just wrestling ... I want to play sports with my friends and run."