Los Angeles Lakers' Brandon Ingram is likely out for the remainder of the season after being diagnosed with a deep venous thrombosis in his arm.
Ingram had missed two games with a sore shoulder when further testing revealed the condition, according to a release from the Lakers.
DVT occurs when a person has a blood clot in a vein far away from the surface of a person's skin. Typically these clots form within the legs and are discovered once people experience aching in the affected area. They are often misdiagnosed in athletes because aching and soreness are typical of playing a sport regularly at a high level.
As with all blood clots, the fear that comes along with this condition is that the clot will break loose and travel through the body where it can block critical veins in the lungs.
Issues with blood clots sidelined the career of NBA veteran Chris Bosh. He was found to have similar clots in his legs and the recurring nature of his blood clots forced him to sit out the end of the 2016 season. After repeatedly failing physicals due to the blood-clotting condition, Bosh gave up on a return after the Heat announced that they were retiring his jersey earlier this year.
A player on the typical treatment of blood thinners will bleed considerably more if they suffer a cut on the court. Of course, none of this has come into play in Ingram's case yet. The treatment of the clots could lead to him being back on the court next season and it's something that Lakers nation will be watching closely.
