Now, blood jabs that help athletes beat injury

London, Feb 22 (ANI): Injecting athletes with their own blood can speed recovery from a whole range of sporting injuries, say scientists.

The procedure - known as platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRPT) - dates back to the 1970s and has previously been used in orthopaedic surgery in hospitals to help mend broken bones.

Sports docs reckon its use is so well tested that it could be deployed as a rapid healing trick for a number of sporting injuries without the need for surgery, reports The Times.

The process involves blood being withdrawn with a syringe, then spun in a centrifuge to isolate the body-healing platelets which are then injected into the damaged tissue.

Research has found that athletes who undergo the treatment report functional recovery in half the time expected.

In one study 15 of 20 patients with tennis elbow - and contemplating surgery were given PRPT; the other five relied on anaesthetic.

Two months later the patients receiving the therapy reported a 60 percent reduction in pain compared with only 16 percent for the others. (ANI)