I believe Kobe Bryant is going to all that he can to win another ring before his body fully gives out on him. And can you really blame the man? Kobe is dedicated to winning and he won’t let anything stop him from winning. Not even an ailing knee.
ESPN reported Thursday night that the Laker star underwent platelet-rich plasma therapy on his right knee last month in Germany.
The procedure consists of centrifuging the patient’s own blood to isolate platelets and growth factors. The mix is then injected into the injured area to accelerate healing. The concentrated growth factors have been shown to speed tissue growth and healing in surgically created lesions in lab animals.
Kobe isn’t the first athlete to have this procedure. Tiger Woods, NFL player Chris Canty and MLB pitcher Cliff Lee have all reportedly undergone the treatment.
Kobe has already had surgery on his knee including surgery last July to remove bone fragments from the knee, the third procedure on the joint. In January he said his knee was “almost bone-on-bone.”
A number of recent studies dispute the effectiveness of the treatment but there is no downside to seeing if it improves healing in his knee.
Everyone could tell that Kobe wasn’t playing like Kobe this past season and many wonder if Kobe if he was on his last leg.
Kobe is only 32-years-old but he has been in the league for 14 season.
Hopefully for him this resent procedure will give his knee the strength it need to allow him to play a couple of more years.