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Andrew Bynum is still out for roughly another 2 months…again putting in doubt his availability for the playoffs. 

His rehabilitation should involve a new treatment involving the athlete’s own blood to heal injuries, as reported by the New York Times:

“The method, which is strikingly straightforward and easy to perform, centers on injecting portions of a patient’s blood directly into the injured area, which catalyzes the body’s instincts to repair muscle, bone and other tissue. Most enticing, many doctors said, is that the technique appears to help regenerate ligament and tendon fibers, which could shorten rehabilitation time and possibly obviate surgery.”

Takeashi Saito, a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, underwent platelet-rich plasma therapy to heal a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament. Instead of being out for a year after surgery, he recovered in 2-3 months.

Hines Ward, the Pittsburgh Steeler’s receiver, suffered a grade-2 MCL (medial collateral ligament) sprain. While originally predicted to miss 5-6 weeks, Ward underwent the blood injection treatment and came back in two weeks to play in the superbowl. Equally important, he avoided offseason surgery on his knee. 

Andrew Bynum also injured his MCL on his right knee. The Lakers didn’t reveal what level sprain it was, the 8-12 week recovery time hinted at a level 2 or 3 sprain. A level 2 is a partial tear and is somewhat disabling. A level 3 is a complete tear and often requires surgery. Considering Bynum and the Lakers’ optimism, minimal swelling, and Bynum’s relative mobility (he now walks without a crutch and took some pregame shots yesterday), his injury appears to be a level 2 sprain, which is what Hines Ward suffered.

I hope he does receive this cutting edge blood injection treatment, because it would mean not only a faster recovery time for the playoffs, but also a good way to avoid surgery.

What’s troubling is the fact that Bynum prefers to work with his own people rather than the Lakers. The difference in medical opinions between the Lakers’ medical consultants and Bynum’s personal doctors on the East Coast caused some problems last year, especially since Bynum’s extension was at stake. 

This may be an ongoing problem. According to the OC Register’s Kevin Ding, Lakers trainer Gary Vitti revealed that Bynum would be susceptible to knee injuries due to his body (knock knees and wide pelvis).

All this should call for perhaps a more comprehensive approach to Bynum’s condition. Jordan Farmar does Yoga for better balance and body control. Perhaps Bynum should follow suit; at this point, he’s undoubtedly injury-prone, with 3 major knee injuries in the past 5 years. 

I just hope Bynum’s personal trainer and doctors are open to these ideas. Blood injections to help him heal, then daily Yoga or dance sessions to prevent injuries.

He’s a gangly, awkward big man with an odd gait. In contrast, Shaq, despite his massive size, had great mobility, footwork, and body control. Probably the best in history for a 300-pound, 7-footer. That’s probably why Shaq’s been relatively durable over his career, despite frequently being out of shape.