Bryant Recovering After 'Successful Surgery' On Torn Achilles Tendon
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was recovering this weekend after surgery to repair his left Achilles tendon.
The surgery described by the team in a statement as a success was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache and Dr. Stephen Lombardo of the Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Group on Saturday afternoon.
Bryant is expected to be immobilized for about a month or more, Lakers head athletic trainer Gary Vitti told members of the media.
"Then like anything else, he'll start working on strength and range of motion," he explained. "This isn't something you want to speed up or accelerate. You don't want to lengthen the tendon too soon because then that destroys the repair."
The team said Kobe's recovery is expected to take at a minimum six to nine months.
The 34-year-old suffered the tear, which ended his season, during Friday night's victory against the Golden State Warriors.
A MRI confirmed the third-degree rupture.
Lakers guard Steve Blake says the team isn't finished for the year, KNX 1070's Vytas Safroncikas reports.
Kobe Bryant Undergoes Successful Surgery
"Nothing's impossible. A little more difficult because we rely on him so much for sure. But we have the talent and the confidence in each other that we can still get it done," Blake said.
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