Kobe Bryant Has Right Knee Procedure In Germany

The only bright side to the NFL and NBA lockouts is that players are getting the opportunity to let their bodies heal. For my favorite, Kobe Bryant, that might be the key to the Lakers success whenever the NBA seasons begins.

Kobe had an experimental procedure done on his right knee in Germany about a month ago:

The treatment is called platelet-rich plasma therapy. PRP procedures are less invasive than many surgeries involving the knee and are viewed as either an emerging solution to knee problems or a financial gamble on unproven science. 

The PRP procedure is fairly simple and takes about an hour. A small amount of blood is drawn from the patient’s arm and spun in a centrifuge for about 20 minutes to isolate platelets. With guidance from ultrasound, the platelets are then injected into the injured area to try to stimulate tissue repair.

Athletes can start their rehabilitation regimen about a week after the procedure. Mamba turns 33 next month and has had 3 surgeries on his right knee since 2003. Add to that the fact that he usually plays until June and has participated in the Olympics, you can understand why he rarely practiced last season. Obviously he knows that his window is closing so he wants to do everything possible to be ready. If there’s any player that can stage a come back like no other, I’d put my money on Kobe.