PRP Treatment in Sports
PRP treatment has been used to treat sports-related injuries for more than a decade. The treatment takes a concentrated dose of platelets from the patient’s own blood and injects it into the injured area. The platelets then stimulate the healing process. Famous names such as golfer Tiger Woods, basketball star Kobe Bryant, Chelsea footballer John Terry, and even Strictly Come Dancing contestant Laura Whitmore have all used it to overcome injuries. Although there has been a lot of debate over whether PRP treatment counts as a form of doping, the World Anti-Doping Agency now accepts that PRP therapy can be used to treat injuries as it has a therapeutic rather than performance enhancing effect.
From Sports to Cosmetic Treatments
Doctors don’t like to change the way they do things without incredibly strong evidence, so they aren‘t yet ready to routinely prescribe PRP for injuries. However, cosmetic treatments can be developed more quickly as we don‘t have to worry about making an injury worse. Since we know from many years of experience in sports medicine that PRP injections are very safe, the only question is whether the treatment is effective.
PRP Treatment for Hair Loss
Scientists have asked this question about many different kinds of PRP treatment. Sometimes, the answers were unclear. However, there were plenty of studies that did show a significant positive effect. Some of the best evidence for PRP treatment comes from studies that used it to tackle hair loss. Researchers found that this treatment, which started as a way of encouraging healing in injured athletes, was very effective at boosting hair growth too.
