"With the Yankees' consent, and on the advice of Lakers star Kobe Bryant, slugger Alex Rodriguez went to Germany earlier this month to undergo an experimental blood-spinning treatment on his bothersome right knee and left shoulder.

Rodriguez underwent "Orthokine," a variant of blood-spinning techniques that have grown increasingly popular with athletes over the last several years. Under these procedures, affected areas are injected with a patient's own blood, after it has been taken through a centrifuge. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman compared the procedure to a "higher level" version of platelet-rich plasma therapy.

Rodriguez was in Germany from Dec. 5 to 9, going only after the Yankees spent several weeks researching the procedure, ultimately granting the slugger permission to seek treatment. Rodrigues's procedure was first reported by the New York Post.

"There was no reason for us not to proceed," Cashman said.

According to the general manager, the procedure does not violate any anti-doping laws. Major League Baseball was also informed of the procedure in advance.

Despite the popularity of these procedures -- Tiger Woods is among the high-profile athletes who have undergone the procedure -- their effectiveness is still up for debate. Nevertheless, the Yankees are not strangers when it comes to the use of blood-spinning treatments. Former outfielder Xavier Nady and left-handed reliever Pedro Feliciano used similar techniques, though unsuccessfully, in an effort to speed-up recovery from arm injuries."