Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard CJ McCollum received a PRP injection in his right knee and missed nine weeks, reports Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes:
Portland Trail Blazers star CJ McCollum received a PRP injection during the offseason to relieve pain and alleviate minor swelling in his right knee, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
McCollum, 27, has returned to playing at a high level after receiving the treatment about four months ago, scoring nine points in 12 minutes in Portland’s preseason opener against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday.
McCollum experienced persistent soreness during the latter part of the 2017-18 campaign and sought a remedy at the conclusion of the season, sources said. The Blazers’ season ended April 21 after a first-round playoff sweep by the New Orleans Pelicans.
An MRI revealed no structural damage and he was administered a PRP treatment early in the offseason in Los Angeles, sources said.
The NBA’s 2015-16 Most Improved Player was sidelined from basketball-related activities for nine weeks, sources said.
PRP stands for platelet-rich plasma. PRP shots are used to promote the healing of injured tendons, ligaments, muscles and joints, according to the Hospital for Special Surgery.
McCollum doesn’t have any history of knee injuries; the only major injury he’s ever suffered, that we know of, was a broken left foot that kept him out of much of his senior season at LeHigh and around half of his first season in Portland. He has been a picture of perfect health in recent years, missing a combined five games over the course of the last three seasons.
McCollum averaged 21.4 points, four rebounds and 3.4 assists per game last season for the Trail Blazers while shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 39.7 percent from 3-point range.
