Legs r sore Anyone out there,celebrity or not, care to try this sh*t? Tweet me a pic Misery loves company #assfrozen twitter.com/kobebryant/sta…
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) January 12, 2013
Soaking in an ice tub is no fun, but is it useful?
The medical literature is very mixed on this. First, we must understand the problem. Bryant may not be as old as you think, but his knees are functionally much older. Through both degeneration and the removal of damaged cartilage, Bryant has little functional cartilage inside the knee. His meniscuses are worn down, as is the articular cartilage that overlies the bones (femur and tibia) that hinge at the knee.
Without this cartilage, every step Bryant takes is like a car driving without shock absorbers. Each jump, stop and landing is like a pothole, causing pain and swelling from the bone-on-bone contact.
Bryant has been willing to take on other therapies to help him play. He famously traveled to Germany to undergo Orthokine therapy. Orthokine is a process where a patient's blood is removed from the body, spun in a centrifuge to extract a platelet-rich plasma, then mixed with other substances before being injected back into the damaged area.
The procedure is not unlike PRP injections, which are becoming more common in sports medicine. However, because it is not approved for use in the United States, those that want to try it have to head overseas, lending it something of a dark air.
Bryant has also taken regular injections of lubricant into his knee. The most commonly used one is Synvisc, a dark viscous liquid that at first glance looks like motor oil (Newer formulations look less "refined.").
The purpose is not unlike oil: It is designed to provide some level of lubrication between structures inside the knee. Rather than the cushioning of the natural cartilage, the lubric...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
