Detroit Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson said his chronic case of left knee tendinitis was really barking toward the end of last season.
It felt fine after a brief rest period this offseason, but the pain returned shortly before the start of camp, and coaches noticed him favoring the leg.
After examinations and a second opinion, Jackson shut down to receive a platelet-rich plasma injection into the joint.
Jackson was back at the practice facility Tuesday _ on crutches after the procedure Monday in New York. He also received an injection into his sore right thumb. The timetable to return to the floor is 6-8 weeks, which could cause him to miss 15 to 20 games.
"I think I was actually happier leaving the hospital yesterday than I have been in about a week," Jackson said. "Once I got the procedure, it was like a burden was let off, kind of a sigh of relief. Now it's back to recovery, back to thinking about getting back to the court."
Jackson described the tendinitis as a "sharp needle" stuck in your knee.
He had the same procedure at the same hospital in 2011, before his rookie season. So Jackson is confident that the knee will respond.
