Manning Underwent Stem-Cell Procedure

(NewsCore) - Peyton Manning traveled to Europe and underwent a stem-cell treatment not yet available in America before his Sept. 8 neck surgery in an aggressive effort to get back on the field, FOX Sports' Jay Glazer reported Sunday on "FOX NFL Sunday."

Manning has had three surgeries in 19 months on his bothersome neck, the latest of which caused the four-time NFL MVP to miss his first game in 14 seasons last week against the Houston Texans. Manning's Indianapolis Colts were defeated by the Texans 34-7.

Glazer said the procedure performed in Europe was different from the type of embryonic stem cell treatments available in the US.

"They actually went and took some fat cells, probably out of his belly, and they put it in a culture," Glazer said. "And they try to almost turn back the hands of time with these cells and they inject them in the neck, hoping that these cells regenerate the area, regenerate the nerves."

Last week FOX Sports reported that Manning chose a rare, more aggressive surgery on his neck for his Sept. 8 operation.

The procedure involved taking a chunk of bone from Manning's hip to fuse the C2 to the C3 vertebrae. The surgery is painful and invasive, so much so that most doctors choose a more conventional protocol that uses a cadaver bone to perform the fusion, doctors told FOXSports.com.

"Peyton Manning is just trying to do whatever he can to get back this year," Glazer said.

Read more: FOX Sports