The ever-growing grey area

With this years Tour de France underway, you could be forgiven for feeling as though something has been missing from the build up to the big event.
The build up to this years Tour has not seen any scandalous drug/doping busts, despite the allegations flying around as usual.
It is extremely sad that a drug free start to any major sporting event merits praise, and even worse that the weight of expectation suggests that the next positive tests are sure to be just around the corner.

However, to briefly stray onto the optimists side of thinking, it would appear that 2010 has the potential to be a step in the right direction for cycling to repair its torrid reputation.

I thought today's blog would be a good opportunity to consider Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy, a method which has recently found itself on WADA's Prohibited List.

PRP Therapy is a method remarkably similar to Blood Doping, however, the purpose is to aid recovery rather than increasing Cardiovascular performance.


This form of therapy uses Plasma, which makes up about 55% of the total blood volume. The Plasma itself consists of 90% water, with the remaining 10% being made up of Dissolved Proteins, Glucose, Clotting Factors, Mineral Ions, Hormones and Carbon Dioxide.

To separate Plasma from blood, there are a number of stages which must take place.

• Firstly, 30mls of blood is taken from the athlete.
• Next, the blood is separated into Plasma, White Blood Cells and Red Blood Cells through spinning with an anti-coagulant in a centrifuge.
• The Platelet Rich Plasma gained from this is then injected into the injured area of the athlete's body.

The Platelet Rich Plasma which has been injected into the injured area aids recovery by secreting Growth Factors. These Growth Factors stimulate tissue recovery, speeding up the rate at which an injury heals.

PRP is useful for injuries involving soft tissue, such as Tendons, Ligaments and Cartilage. Tiger Woods received 4 injections of PRP with the aim of improving the condition of his ACR Ligament more quickly, allowing him to make his comeback.

PRP therapy has been used by athletes for over 10 years now, however this year the method has entered the WADA prohibited list. This ban does not prohibit its use outright though. Section S2-6 of the 2010 WADA Code states PRP can be used by athletes, but only if injections involve joints or areas surrounding muscles. Direct injections into muscles can invoke a 2 year ban from competition.

This ban suggests that WADA have not come to a conclusion over the future of PRP use. I feel that they will have a difficult task in coming to the right conclusion.

Amongst the factors which support the legality of PRP, the strongest arguments are:

• Allows athletes to compete more, facilitating further achievements.
• Commercial benefits, as there is more competition to broadcast/sponsor/advertise etc.
• May allow athletes to pro-long their careers.
• Inexpensive technique, meaning the issue of keeping a level playing field is not a problem.

However, there are a number of negative factors which suggest this method should be banned outright:

• There are suggestions PRP therapy can be used as a mask for Human Growth Hormone injections.
• Could widen the gap between Amateur and Professional.
• Could be considered as taking away from the sport's traditions.
• May have a harmful effect on the reputation of the sport.

Personally, i feel that the correct decision would be to ban the use of PRP therapy completely. There are a number of contributing factors which lead me to this conclusion. The most important factor for me is the belief that unless the necessary morals of sport are maintained, then popularity of sport on a grass roots level will become diminished. This obviously makes the future of sport look fairly bleak. By ensuring future athletes are not alienated by the gap between amateur and professional, participation will increase, and in the future this will be evident in terms of an improved quality of competition.

Ben Brown