Lamar Odom will be 'taught to walk and talk again' but Khloe has vowed to stay by his side

Lamar and Khloe

Doctors believe Lamar Odom will have to learn to walk and talk again during a lengthy stint of rehabilitation expected to take many months, it has been claimed.

TMZ reported the former star basketballer is likely to have suffered some undetermined permanent damage to his body after he collapsed on Tuesday during a drink and drug-fueled binge in a Nevada brothel.

Having now awoken from a three-day coma, his health is slowly improving but his rehabilitation is expected to require the use of therapists for several months.

It's also believed his estranged wife Khloe Kardashian has vowed to stay with him throughout the ordeal he faces - and is refusing to leave his side, People reported.

Since awakening from the Odom's health has been making a steady improvement as the Kardashian clan united around his bedside in a Las Vegas hospital over the weekend.

The former LA Lakers star, for the first time, could socialize and move around, and is 'heading in the right direction,' E! News reported.  According to the Los Angeles Times, Odom was 'conversational', able to speak sentences and send text messages. 

The Times also reported that a spokeswoman for Odom's aunt also said that he was improving, as he is able to breath on his own.

The 35-year-old was also helped out of his bed and onto a chair and also passed a critical swallow test, E! News reported. This is a ‘promising sign of neurological function’ because it shows Odom can swallow on his own after doctors removed his breathing tube.

However, most of the athlete's communication comes through a simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down, E! News reported. A source close to the situation told E! News: 'This is great progress but there is always the possibility for setbacks.'

Odom was taken off a ventilator on Friday night after he collapsed on Tuesday during a drink and drug-fueled binge in a Nevada brothel. Dailymail