Kristaps Porzingis’s “mystery illness” has been solved, as The Athletic announced that Porzingis received a diagnosis of “postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome,” better known as POTS.
POTS is a chronic cardiovascular condition that limits the body’s ability to evenly distribute blood in various postures. When you sit or lie down, a greater proportion of your blood shifts to the lower body and abdomen due to gravity. People without POTS have a muscular and cardiovascular response when standing to increase blood flow to the head and upper body. With POTS, however, this response is incomplete, preventing blood from quickly redistributing.
POTS is somewhat common in the US, with 1 to 3 million people having been diagnosed with the ailment. The most frightening symptom associated with POTS is fainting when standing quickly, although there is no reporting to suggest Porzingis struggled with fainting. He did suffer from two more common symptoms, fatigue and elevated heart rate, which explains his playoff fitness struggles.
What does this mean for Porzingis and the Hawks?
While POTS won’t be a career-ending diagnosis, it could represent a major challenge for Porzingis as he enters the back half of his career.
The most concerning anecdote from Porzingis came from The Athletic, which reported, “Porziņģis said that in his case, his heart rate could stabilize while he was lying down, but the act of standing up would make it shoot up to 130 beats per minute, and his energy levels were sapped.”
While POTS is not curable, it is treatable. Dietary plans to reduce its effects include increasing sodium, water, fiber, and complex carbohydrate intake and breaking large meals into multiple small meals. The other primary form of treatment is exercise, which, of course, Porzingis regularly engages in.
One of my first friends I made in college was diagnosed with POTS during our freshman year. POTS is challenging to diagnose and is often called an “invisible illness,” where it does not produce life-threatening symptoms despite the serious nature of the symptoms. This could explain the “mysterious” component of his condition and why doctors could not immediately diagnose it.
Porzingis is not worried about the condition heading into the new season, and his decision to not sign a long-term extension is his way of putting his money where his mouth is. Still, this diagnosis will have its toll on his career.
The Athletic piece breaking this news ended the article by suggesting Porzingis may adopt a “more regimented non-basketball resting schedule” to combat the symptoms he faced. In basketball terms, Porzingis will likely have to enter a load management program with the training staff to prevent his symptoms from reaching their previous peak.
Porzingis has been dealt a poor hand in the NBA, facing seemingly unavoidable injury problems time and time again. Despite this, the seven-footer has fought hard at every stop to overcome his physical ailments. While Porzingis will fight through to the fullest extent he can, this diagnosis presents a problem that, to some degree, cannot be avoided.
Porzingis appeared to be in peak physical shape during EuroBasket and preseason competition, suggesting he has largely recovered to his initial condition and has found treatment that works with his body and career. This season will likely challenge him and his medical team to adapt over an intense 82-game season, but this is a hurdle he has cleared before.