De Ocampo out 4-6 weeks due to slip disc injury

MANILA, Philippines -- Talk 'N Text veteran forward Ranidel de Ocampo will be out for four to six weeks due to slipped disc which he sustained while working out on Sunday at the Moro Lorenzo gym inside the Ateneo campus in Quezon City.

The 6-foot-5 De Ocampo was lifting weights when he felt a sharp pain on his back, according to Talk 'N Text physical therapist Dexter Aseron.

"Nagwe-weights Lang siya kanina, bale nag-squat siya tapos may narinig siyang nag-pop kaya na-immobilize hung dalawang legs niya bigla," Aseron told Philstar.com.

The soft-spoken team therapist said the Gilas Pilipinas mainstay was placed in a stretcher and was immediately brought to the Makati Medical Center for a series of test.

Aseron said x-ray showed negative on broken bone, but the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) revealed that his disc has bulged.

"Yung disc sa likod niya lumabas pero wala namang naipit na nerve so at least, he'll be out for four to six weeks," explained Aseron.

The team therapist added that De Ocampo's injury may have been caused by years of constant pounding in the game, having skipped the offseason break to play for Gilas.

"Pwedeng lumalabas na rin kasi ng konti (disc) bago nangyari yun (injury) so ngayon, kailangan muna niya magpahinga," he said.

De Ocampo led Talk 'N Text with 26 points in the team's 98-114 blowout loss to Alaska during both team's debut game for the season on Friday.