Footballers have found a new way to treat their injuries, Robin van Persie, Glen Johnson and Fabio Aurelio have all travelled to Serbia to have horse placenta massaged onto their injuries. Human placenta has been widely used mainly after birthing, its thought that it contains healing properties, it is generally customary among the Chinese and Vietnamese to prepare the placenta for the mother after child birth as it is thought that the nutrients in placenta help a mother recover more quickly.

Placenta has a high iron and zinc content and is rich in proteins which are useful for new mothers who have suffered a traumatic birth and lost a lot of blood, but they do not have to actually eat their placenta after birth as placenta pills are available. It’s thought that these pills can help increase energy, allow a quicker return to health after birth, increase the production of breast milk and decrease the likely hood of post natal depression. However these properties are now being used in new forms as the latest craze to hit Hollywood is a placenta facial where a cream contain placenta is used in the efforts of having younger looking skin.

Research into the benefits of using placenta is still in its infancy especially as a form of physio and many doctors have dismissed  the treatment, however that has not stopped many footballers using the method, we will no doubt have to wait and see if Van Persie and the others find it to be effective or not.