Oden undergoes blood procedure to help knee
Former No. 1 NBA draft pick Greg Oden reportedly has undergone a controversial procedure to try to kick-start his waning basketball career.
Oden, who has had four knee surgeries since he was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2007, has undergone an Orthokine procedure, according to ESPN.com.
The procedure is similar to a platlet-rich plasma therapy and is hoped to help his ailing right knee. It involves doctors injecting the patient’s own blood back into them after spinning it in a centrifuge and making a serum. Doctors have said it works to stop pain and cartilage damage.
He had the procedure in New York two weeks ago, ESPN.com reported.
The procedure became famous when Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers traveled to Germany to undergo it. He was so enamored by the results he recommended it to New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who also had the procedure.
The 7-footer has not played since Dec. 5, 2009. He had his last knee surgery in February.
“Greg had long planned to have this procedure done,” a source told ESPN.com. “He thought he’d wait until his knee was completely healed, but the doctor said Greg would get the greatest benefit by doing it now because it would help his recovery.”
Loading ...
