UPDATE May 9 4:30 p.m. ET: Lakers have announced an official timetable of 12 weeks for Gasol's recovery. Also Gasol will receive stem cell injections to regenerate tissue.
Pau Gasol will undergo a FAST Technique procedure on both of his knees Thursday to help with the tendinosis he suffers from, reports Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The procedure will eliminate scar tissue in his knees while also preserving healthy tissue and is considered "minimally" invasive.
Tendinosis, also commonly referred to as chronic tendinitis, indicates that the damage to his tendons in his knees is at a cellular level. The Los Angeles Lakers will announce an official timetable on his return after the surgery, but there is no indication that this will have negative long-term implications. According to the official FAST (Fasciotomy and Surgical Tenotomy) Technique website, Gasol's recovery will likely take six weeks:
Unlike traditional open surgeries that may several months, the FAST Technique recovery period is expected to be 6 weeks for return to your normal activities.
Gasol reported having tendonitis issues in his knees as early as the preseason and struggled with pain in his knees throughout the regular season. He also played through plantar fascitis until he suffered from his plantar fascia tearing. Gasol also took to Twitter and indicated that he will be working hard on his health through the Summer, something all Lakers fans can agree will be important after the 2012-2013 season ended.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>After talking to several specialists, I'm going to proceed to regenerate both of my patellar tendons and working hard to get back to my 100%</p>— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) <a href="https://twitter.com/paugasol/status/332201058535362560">May 8, 2013</a></blockquote>
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- Drew
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