After posting an article about Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum heading to Germany to undergo knee procedures on Friday, LakersNation.com has learned the report was wrong. Kobe and Bynum will be heading overseas in order to patch up their ailing knees, but it was the type of procedure that was incorrect.
The common misconception right now is that Kobe went to Germany last year to undergo PRP (platetet rich plasma). Reportedly, that isn’t the case according to Lakers trainer Gary Vitti via Mike Trudell of Lakers.com:
“Vitti: Yes. This is where things got very confusing in the press, where some said that Kobe went to Germany for PRP (platelet rich plasma). This is not PRP. That is a different treatment from what Kobe did, which is called Orthokine or Regenokine. They are similar to PRP in that they take your own blood and spin it down in a centrifuge. In PRP, they take the platelets out and then inject them back into the site you’re having an issue with, which causes a therapeutic effect. “
The success of this knee procedure was abundantly clear over the course of the 2011-12 NBA season for Kobe. The five-time NBA champion was able to turn back the clock with unbelievable results playing as if he were 10 years younger.
With Kobe’s incredible results, many other professional athletes are bound to undergo Orthokine therapy during the off-season. Along with Bynum set to undergo this revolutionary therapy on both his knees in August, former number one overall pick Greg Oden has also undergone the procedure after getting released by the Portland Trail Blazers.
From here on out it must become clear that PRP and Orthokine therapy are on the same procedure. For all the details about Orthokine and Regenokine therapy, check out Trudell’s two-part interview with Vitti: The Trainer’s Take.
