Healing the Elite Athlete Today: Investigating the Case of Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy

Abstract

In the world of elite sport, pain and suffering are inherent. In exploring return-to-play treatments and decision-making in sports medicine, two overarching areas seem to dominate the existing literature: (i) the autonomy of the injured athlete and (ii) the conflicts of interests faced by the sport medical practitioner. Today, these two ethical issues are further exacerbated by innovations in biomedical technologies. An in-depth analysis will be conducted on how novel and emerging biomedical technologies in modern sports medicine affect—and further perpetuate—the pre-existing bioethical issues, using the case study of platelet-rich plasma therapy used by elite athletes. Attitudes towards novel technologies will be further explored, comparing both the faith-like commitments and the rejection of novel technologies with areas in religious epistemology. A pluralistic approach to clinical practice will be suggested, to begin resolving some of the bioethical issues present.