Kobe Bryant's Platelet-Rich Plasma Treatment Explained

Kobe Bryant, turning 33 in August, underwent Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) treatment in his arthritic right knee at a facility in Germany in early June.

Bryant has had three previous procedures done on that knee, but he continues to suffer from the effects of degenerative joint disease.  It's unknown if he's had this particular therapy before, but by having this treatment he's showing that his knee arthritis is still bothering him.

In the PRP procedure, a small amount of blood (about an ounce) is removed from the patient.  That blood is then centrifuged to a degree where the platelets are pulled out of the rest of the blood into a bit of the liquid component (plasma).  That very highly concentrated platelet/plasma mixture is then injected back into the affected tissue area.

Here's the theory behind the procedure: sports injuries happen frequently to areas such as tendons or joints where there may be poor blood supply to provide the building block materials needed to heal that injury.  Platelets have been shown to produce certain substances (such as platelet-derived growth factor) that speed up the growth and repair of connective tissues.  By injecting a high concentration of platelets into an area that has a poor blood supply, healing may be greatly enhanced.

Over the past ten years, this procedure has become more widespread as the benefits and evidence of its use has become better known.  Other athletes who have had the procedure done include Tiger Woods (four times), Troy Polamalu, and Hines Ward, but you don't have to be a world-class athlete to get the same treatment.   Doctors use PRP for a variety of ailments including the knee, hip, shoulder, wrist, and ankle.

There isn't yet an overwhelming amount of evidence to show that PRP works consistently, but considering the low risks associated with the therapy (infection, nerve damage), this treatment is clearly worth a shot for Kobe.