Dedicated Thread on Yao Ming's Rehabilitation (2008)

pryuen · Apr 4, 2008

Glacier said:

Just read an article saying that Yao has arrived in Beijing. Not sure if this is still a news here.

Acoording to the article, he will stay in China for about 10 days. He will have his left foot examined by a group of finely selected speacialists in Chinese medicine.

Hope he will be back strong next season.
Click to expand...

Well, roll back this thread by a page, and you'll know this is no longer a news now.

http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showpost.php?p=3589327&postcount=284

kwng · Apr 4, 2008

Let's hope the swell on his foot will be gone when he completed his stay in China. I look forward to hear his recovery update when he head back to Houston.

pryuen · Apr 4, 2008

Yao Ming hold a press conference/Q&A this afternoon in Beijing addressing various questions thrown at him about his current rehabilitation status, his chance for playing in the playoff, his chance and expectations of playing in the Olympics, the purpose of his return, the advantages of taking Chinese traditional medicine/therapy......and lots of lots other questions.

The details of his interview transcript will be summarized and posted in the next 2 hours or so.

pryuen · Apr 4, 2008

This is the full transcript of Big Yao's Q&A with the press/media.

http://sports.sohu.com/20080404/n256101214.shtml

I'm not going to do a word-by-word translation. Just the summary.

On his current rehabilitation
He said he is recuperating fine, and actually slightly ahead of schedule. The purpose of his return is to seek assistance from some Chinese medical experts on methods of expediting the recovery, like get rid of the swelling or fasten up the blood circulation etc.

On his chances for making the Olympics and how actually he felt during the rehabilitation so far
He said the chances for him making the Olympics seems very optimistic now. He said he did not feel any ill effect about his rehabilitation. If he felt sore and painful after alot of rehabilitation exercises then it meant that there could still be something wrong with his wound. But he is not feeling sore and painful. He is now slowly adding strength into his rehabilitation, and he will soon step up the intensity and start to see if he can apply force to his left leg/foot.

On why it is so frequent that he had injuries and had to go thru the same rehabilitation every summer
He joked that he is getting old. But he thought of all his previous injuries/surgeries, the infected toe was due to his own carelessness; the broken legs/ankles were purely freak accidents that were inevitable and unpredictable. The current stress fracture was caused by long term tear and wear. Luckily, all the injuires were on new part of his body, and therefore non-recurring.

On whether there is a chance he can make it back to the playoff
He said the chance is zero. It is a season-ending injury.

On his recommendations on how to improve the interior O&D of the Rockets during the playoff
He said the Houston Rockets' interior strength is not as bad as experts/critics said. He said Luis Scola, Deke Mutombo, Carl Landry all played very well, and they had added a few other players too, like Mike Harris. He thought in the playoff, they should step up the intensity in the offense, because they are really now playing with a small-ball roster, and therefore they should play faster.

On whether he will go and report back to the Chinese national team on this trip
He said if time permits, he will go to visit his team mates now in behind door training, and had a heart-to-heart chat with the head coach Jonas Kazlauskas. He thinks that would be of help to their preparation for the Olympics.

On the timing of his joint consultation with the Chinese doctors and whether he knows anything about the medical expert team
He said the team of experts were summoned all over China by CBA, and should be the best of best. The timing for the joint consultation is not yet confirmed, but should be sometimes next week.

On the duration of his stay in China and when he will come back to China
He said he will probably stay 10 days to 2 weeks time, dependent on the effect of the therapy/treatment. It will be difficult to predict when he will return to China. It will probably be end June/early July dependent on the rehabilitation. The latest would be mid July.

On the prospect of being picked as the last torch bearer to light the Olympic flame
He said it will be a honor to become an Olympic flame torchbearer. He will consider it a top honor if he will become a torch bearer. But as of now, he could not even run 200 meters. But this Olympics is of significant meaning to him even though he had participated already 2 times in Olympics. He said he will be extremely happy if he can do anything for the Olympics.

On his prediction of when he and Ye Li will have their baby
He said they have not planned for it. But anytime from now to the next 20 years.

On his feeling of putting those protective devices on his left foot
He said no feeling. It is just like wearing shoes.

On his pressure and expectation for the Chinese national team in the Olympics
He said he does not think the pressure is straightly upon him, as pressure should be ever-present to every player if one wants to perform well in the Olympics. He said the national team had been progressing well over the years, with addition of alot of young players. Yi Jianlian had been doing well in NBA. Wang Zhizhi is a veteran that he had played against or together for over 10 years now. Jonas Kazlauskas is an experienced coach that had led Lithuania to bronze medals twice in Olympics, and he hoped Kazlauskas could continue that good tradition. As to his prediction, he said he is a conservative and pessimistic guy that always works back from the worst scenario. So his predicition is worst come to worst, China will be placed 12th. And there is not yet a designated position. He looks forward to a historical breakthrough (of a higher placement than previous Olympics)

On whether there will be or currently a possibility that the Houston Rockets will trade him, and if that happens, what will he do and feel?
He said definitely there will be such possibility. As of now, he said the management will never give the player any indication beforehand. It could happen any time any day cos NBA is just a business. He asked the reporters to interview Les Alexander the next time he visits China.

On the tremendous pressure Liu Xiang has in winning the gold medal in the Olympics
He said Liu Xiang has shouldered too much expectation and pressure ever since winning the gold medal in 2004 Athens Olympics. He said as their sports is different, he will never experience the pressure of Liu Xiang. He said if there is a chance, he would love to have the pressure that Liu Xiang is currently under, as at least that means he will have the chance for winning gold medal.

On what he thought about the ESPN prediction that the Houston Rockets will be eliminated by San Antonio Spurs in Round 1 of the playoff
He said he had 2 predicitions: Prediction 1: Houston Rockets will not meet San Antonio Spurs in Round 1. Prediction 2: Houston Rockets will be eliminated by San Antonio Spurs. The point is currently the final seeding of Houston Rockets and its Round 1 opponents is not yet determined. So no way to make any prediction.

On the adverse impact of Yi Jianlian's injury to the national team
He said he learnt about Yi Jianlian's injury upon his arrival. Without knowing the details, all he could do is to wish him luck. He said this has been a bad year for the Chinese basketball team. He is injured. Now Yi Jianlian has an injury. Wang Zhizhi has a lagging injury but just delaying his surgery. This all prove how significant this Olympics is to the players. No players will easily give up their chances for playing in this Olympics. Even if a few players have to sit out this Olympics due to injuries, the other players will still all go out to represent China for the Olympics.

On the general skepticism and suspicion of the US and Chinese fans on the effect of Chinese traditional medicine
He said that is why he wanted to give it a try. He said there must be a reason why Chinese traditional medicine had prevailed and still around for thousands of year. So it is too early to draw any conclusion.

On how he dealt with the long and boring rehabilitation processes
He said he got tired and bored for having to repeat the same rehabilitation processes/routine for a full month now. So the purpose of his trip back to China is, other than seeking the Chinese medical experts' help, he wanted to change the environment and get a bit relaxed.
Click to expand...

pryuen · Apr 4, 2008

News about his press conference as reported by Associated Press.

Not with as much details as mine.....

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/04/sports/BKO-China-Yao.php

Yao Ming seeks traditional Chinese cure to heal foot injury

The Associated Press
Published: April 4, 2008

BEIJING: Houston Rockets center Yao Ming is back in China to consult with traditional medicine practitioners over his NBA season-ending foot injury.

Yao said Friday he also plans to see his fellow players on the national team and talk with coach Jonas Kazlauskas on strategy for the Beijing Olympics in August.

Yao hadn't decided on a treatment to heal the stress fracture in his left foot, but said he would probably meet with the country's top traditional doctors early next week. Traditional Chinese medicine can range from acupuncture to herbal teas, and is usually less invasive and slower acting than Western medicine.

"Traditional Chinese medicine has a history of thousands of years in our country so there must be something to it," Yao said.

Yao, who arrived in Beijing late Thursday, hobbled into a news conference on crutches, his injured foot sheathed in a protective guard. He said his recovery was going "pretty well," but he wasn't likely to be back at his best until late June or early July.

His injury had sparked a near panic in China, where huge hopes are riding on the Olympics. China's other big man, former Dallas Mavericks center Wang Zhizhi, also recently underwent knee surgery and Milwaukee Bucks rookie forward Yi Jianlian was scheduled to undergo a scan on his sprained left knee.

Despite the setbacks, Yao warned against counting the hosts out, saying the team would finish 12th in a worst-case scenario, but was poised for a "historic breakthrough".

"It's a testimony to how much these Games mean to us players that we're not just saying 'I'm injured, that's it,' and throwing in the towel," Yao said. "The Games are in our own country and that's special."

"The Olympics is a big competition with big pressure. If the pressure wasn't there, you wouldn't have so many athletes trying to get in."

Yao had heard rumors he would be selected as an Olympic torch bearer — perhaps even carrying it at the opening ceremony — but didn't know anything for sure.

"Of course it would be a huge honor to carry the torch, but in my present state, in my present condition I can't even run 200 meters," Yao said.

The 7-foot, 6-inch center appeared to have overcome some of the disappointment of seeing his NBA season end. He smiled and joked with reporters and assured them that despite playing in the U.S., he remained Chinese at heart.
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poprocks · Apr 4, 2008

here are some great pictures of Yao rehabbing from NBA.com. Yao is a monster he's so cut. Great job to Anthony Falsone and Yao.

http://www.nba.com/gallery/yaoming_rehab/20080402_1.html

Northside Storm · Apr 4, 2008

Trainer Anthony Falsone tries to tame the beast that is the rehabbing Yao Ming.
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...That sounds like smoething I would've written...XD

badgerfan · Apr 4, 2008

poprocks said:

here are some great pictures of Yao rehabbing from NBA.com. Yao is a monster he's so cut. Great job to Anthony Falsone and Yao.

http://www.nba.com/gallery/yaoming_rehab/20080402_1.html
Click to expand...

Steve Francis is in the last photo, dropping by to say hello to Yao.

Here's hoping that both Yao and Steve come back strong next year. Yeah, Steve too, you haters.

pryuen · Apr 5, 2008

Further news/update about Yao Ming's trip in Beijing.....

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/sports/2008-04/05/content_6593450.htm

Yao puts faith in traditional medicine

By Zhao Rui (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-04-05 10:05

China's NBA sensation Yao Ming believes traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) could help speed up the recovery of his foot injury.

The 2.28-m all-star center arrived in Beijing on Thursday night and will undergo a series of TCM examinations in Beijing in the coming two weeks before returning to the US for further rehabilitation.

Yao's going ahead with TCM treatment, despite criticism from American hoop fans who claim there is no scientific basis for the practice.

"There is no reason to dismiss it," Yao told a packed press conference in Beijing on Friday. "The reason I'm returning to China this time is because I want to try some TCM rehab methods.

"It's been used in our country for thousands of years - I don't think it's short on science."

The Houston Rockets' top scorer was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his left foot on February 27 and underwent surgery in early March. The Rockets have confirmed the center player can return to the game before the start of the Beijing Olympics in August.

Rockets team physician Tom Clanton, who performed the surgery, said Yao must undergo four months of rehabilitation.

He is now able to lift weights to improve his strength and fitness for the Olympics.

"I don't think I will miss the Games," he said. "I've started to do some workouts at the gym and everything is going OK for me. I'm not feeling any pain in my left leg.

"The rehab is more like a psychological thing I think. I was a little bored after a month of recovery time in Houston, so I decided to come back to Beijing to relax."

On Thursday, another Chinese player Yi Jianlian sprained his left knee during Milwaukee Bucks' 110-109 victory over the Washington Wizards.

But Yao said injury wouldn't dampen the Chinese team's determination at the Games.

"This is not a good season for us," he said. "Injuries are a huge blow for China - I'm injured, Yi has some troubles with a twisted knee, also Wang Zhizhi isn't in good condition due to a knee injury. But there's no reason to drop the Olympics just because of the injuries."

Yao averaged 22 points and 10.8 rebounds this season and led the team to 12 consecutive wins before the injury, which became a winning streak of 22 despite his absence.

He is crucial to China's hopes of making the top six at the Olympics, and is also considered a favorite to be the country's flag bearer at the opening ceremony.

At the Athens Games in 2004, Yao guided China to a top eight finish, which equaled the country's best showing at the Olympics.

Yao missed 32 games last season with a fractured right tibia and 21 games during the 2005-06 season, with a toe infection that required surgery. He also missed four games at the end of that season with a broken foot.
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pryuen · Apr 5, 2008

He's recovering ahead of the schedule and is on track for the Olympics !!!

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-04/05/content_7921713.htm

Pain-free Yao back on track for Games
www.chinaview.cn 2008-04-05 08:39:41

BEIJING, April 5 -- It was the three-pointer news all of China has been waiting for - NBA star Yao Ming is making a great recovery from injury and is on track for the Beijing Olympic Games.

Yao said in Beijing yesterday that the chances of him missing the Olympics "are quite slim."

"My recovery condition is better than expected and I don't feel any pain now," Yao told a news conference.

The Houston Rockets center arrived in Beijing late on Thursday to start a 10-day traditional Chinese medicine therapy hoped to hasten his recovery.

Yao, who underwent surgery early last month in the United States to treat a stress fracture in his left foot, said he expected the traditional Chinese medicine therapy will reduce swelling and bruising.

Yao hasn't decided on a specific treatment, but said he would probably meet the country's top TCM doctors early next week.

"Traditional Chinese medicine has a history of thousands of years in our country so there must be something to it," he said.

Yao, who hobbled into the crowded news conference on crutches, his injured foot sheathed in a protective guard, said his recovery rate was going "pretty well," but he wasn't likely to be back at his best until late June or early July.

The Chinese Basketball Association will send the best medical team to monitor Yao's condition, its deputy director, Hu Jiashi, has said.

Yao's injury was a concern for the Chinese basketball authority and fans alike as it was feared it may hamper the 2.29-meter-tall star player of the Chinese squad from taking part in the Olympics, due to start on Aug. 8.

Yao is China's best-known athlete and has contracts with several Olympic sponsors including McDonald's and Coca-Cola. He is believed to earn about 25 million U.S. dollars alone in sponsorship deals and is being heavily marketed across China in the run-up to the Beijing Games.

The 28-year-old Shanghai native will not engage in any commercial activities during his treatment in Beijing, Sina.com reported yesterday.

He will fly back to the US after his treatment and is expected to return to the national team in late June or July to prepare for the 16-day Games.

China's other key basketball player, Milwaukee Bucks forward Yi Jianlian, is also under a cloud with a wrist injury.

"I hope his condition is fine," Yao said. "His injury will be a big blow for the whole squad if his condition is getting worse."

Yao said he plans to see his fellow players on the national team and talk with coach Jonas Kazlauskas on strategy for the Beijing Olympics.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)
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Rocket Guy · Apr 5, 2008

So if he feels no pain and he can hit up some chinese medicine that speeds it up...why the hell can he not join us for the playoffs?

ReD_1 · Apr 5, 2008

On whether there will be or currently a possibility that the Houston Rockets will trade him, and if that happens, what will he do and feel?
He said definitely there will be such possibility. As of now, he said the management will never give the player any indication beforehand. It could happen any time any day cos NBA is just a business. He asked the reporters to interview Les Alexander the next time he visits China
Click to expand...

Like, no way thats going to happen...

pryuen · Apr 5, 2008

Rocket Guy said:

So if he feels no pain and he can hit up some chinese medicine that speeds it up...why the hell can he not join us for the playoffs?
Click to expand...

He did not feel pain in his left leg after the exercises currently, but that does not mean he can now throw away his crutches, start to walk on his own and apply force to it or start running. Besides he said it himself that by the time he can walk and run again sometimes by end April or early May, he has to come back from zero reserves, as far as his strength reservoir is concerned, and we all knew it could take another 4 to 6 weeks for him to work back into competitive form and shape after that. And that will already be mid to late June.

He said he will definitely join his team at the playoff.....

but purely as the cheerleader from the bench.

ccjj · Apr 5, 2008

I wonder if they have to custom make his super long crutches...

Kindger · Apr 5, 2008

Rocket Guy said:

So if he feels no pain and he can hit up some chinese medicine that speeds it up...why the hell can he not join us for the playoffs?
Click to expand...

I heard that the playoffs start in less than a month and Dr. Tom Clanton said the rehab has to take 4 months.

DaDakota · Apr 5, 2008

Kindger said:

I heard that the playoffs start in less than a month and Dr. Tom Clanton said the rehab has to take 4 months.
Click to expand...

Don't risk his career for one year's playoff run.

The 4 months deal is really conservative, don't most bones heal in 6 to 8 weeks?

DD

pryuen · Apr 5, 2008

Video of Yao Ming at the press conference.....

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ericmark · Apr 5, 2008

DaDakota said:

Don't risk his career for one year's playoff run.

The 4 months deal is really conservative, don't most bones heal in 6 to 8 weeks?

DD
Click to expand...

3 month. Stress fracture maybe takes less time.

H-townhero · Apr 5, 2008

Question: Will they ever take the screws out? Didn't Chris Mihm (sp?) have screws in his foot and had to have them taken out because of the pain they caused or something to that degree?

pryuen · Apr 5, 2008

H-townhero said:

Question: Will they ever take the screws out? Didn't Chris Mihm (sp?) have screws in his foot and had to have them taken out because of the pain they caused or something to that degree?
Click to expand...

Those screws are supposedly to be permanent. So unless something drastic happen, they are not going to be removed.

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