Blood spinning in football: new evidence
In recent weeks some stories about blood treatments in football have been published. In Germany, England and Norway, treatment with own blood seems to be widespread. The method is called PRP – Platelet-Rich-Plasma therapy. It will help athletes to recover faster and to cure injuries. In 2011 WADA took the method from the doping list. But a recent study shows that the method could have performance-enhancing effects.
In PRP the medicist first removes ten milliliters of blood with a centrifuge, separates this blood into its components and then injects five milliliters of enriched blood back into the player – to be more specifically: directly into the muscle. The procedure was classified as doping in 2010 and banned by WADA. According to n24.de this method is „the big thing in German professional football.“ Although it is not entirely clear how the author comes to this statement, the article is worth reading: the scientific method of PRP and the results are well described.
The method is used in England, too. Recently there have been several reports on the use of PRP by Tottenham Hotspurs. Also in Norway several top clubs use the method, as the newspaper VG recently reported.
Study: Prohibited substances increased
The question remains: How big is the effect of PRP? A recent scientific study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine now suggests that the effect of PRP is much bigger than previously thought. The researchers write: „We present evidence that PRP contains and may trigger systemic increases in substances currently banned in competitive athletes.“ In addition, the authors of the study provide an opportunity to test athletes on the use of PRP. WADA writes on request that they know the study and that it is even co-financed by anti-doping authorities. What WADA didn’t say: How the results of the study will affect a possible ban of PRP. WADA wrote it will not comment on it at the moment because of „current proceedings“.
That PRP is apparently used relatively often in football shows one thing: The fact that almost everything is being done in football to get the players fit as quickly as possible. And that the methods for this lie partly in a medical gray area.
Collaboration: Jonathan Sachse
