CARSON, Calif. - In many ways, Jonathan Bornstein is a picture of fitness. With the physique of a long-distance runner and the touch of a top-flight footballer, Bornstein showed plenty in his first full year in Major League Soccer.
His fitness was apparent on the field. He played in all but one minute of Chivas USA's 2006 campaign and was named Rookie of the Year. Earlier this year, he went 90 minutes with the U.S. national team against Denmark and Mexico.
So when Bornstein suffered a preseason knee injury, his fitness was suddenly tested. But with the help of what he called a painful but effective procedure, Bornstein has not skipped a beat this season.
Despite partially torn knee ligaments he suffered in February, Bornstein picked up where he left off last season. He's played all 180 minutes this year for Chivas USA and his knee injury has been all but erased.
"I give a lot of credit to the trainers and the doctors here. ... They gave me the option of a newer type of treatment method," Bornstein said. "Having the right mentality is what I give the most credit to, just putting in the work to get back and knowing when I thought I was ready. That was the biggest thing."
On a seemingly innocent play during a February training session, Bornstein sustained the injury. When Bornstein tried to clear a ball during a drill, his knee went the wrong way. He was in instant pain and was later diagnosed with a partial tear of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee.
In the midst of misfortune, though, Bornstein saw an opportunity. A year ago, then-teammate Francisco Palencia had a similar knee injury. Palencia overcame the injury sooner than expected and returned in time for the MLS Cup Playoffs. Palencia won the praise of his coaches and teammates because of that, and his recovery time stuck with Bornstein.
So when he was given an option of undergoing a procedure similar to the one that helped Palencia recover last year, Bornstein did not flinch.
"I knew he had done it. I knew he came back in five weeks. I knew he came back pretty strong so I had a pretty open mind to it," Bornstein said.
The procedure, called Platelet Rich Plasma or PRP, involves taking blood from elsewhere in the body - in Bornstein's case his arm - placing it in a centrifuge and separating the plasma and platelets. Once separated, the plasma-less blood is applied to the wound site - in Bornstein's case his knee.
"The good blood they put back in there regenerates growth," Bornstein said.
Despite a quick recovery time, though, Bornstein said he still has some things to overcome.
"It's probably not 100 percent yet but I don't feel any pain at all. It's probably just not as strong as it was yet," he said. "Every day I'm doing the squats and the leg program and everything to make it stronger every day. Hopefully it will be better than it was in training camp in a couple of weeks."
Though he did not feel pain, he said he felt effects from the whole injury and recovery process during the season opener against Toronto FC on April 7.
"I was kind of hesitant just to try things just because I didn't know if my knee was going to hold up," he said. "Once I saw it was going well and my knee wasn't hurting, I was able to play a lot better. In the second half, I was getting those balls to Pancho (Mendoza) and a lot faster to Ante (Razov)."
Now with two games under his belt, Bornstein said he's not about to slow down.
"Just day in and day out, it's a matter of working hard and getting the touch back," he said. "The fitness I didn't lose much of but it's still putting in the extra work to get a little more sharp and a little more on top of things."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
