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Luka Dončić gestures during a Lakers game as a new injury update and study reveal a potential return timeline following injections.

A recent study reveals when Injured Lakers star Luka Dončić could return to action after injections for his hamstring strain. Dončić is reportedly on his way backto Los Angeles Tuesday, where his Grade 2 hamstring strain will be re-evaluated after the five-time All-NBA first-team selection spent a week in Spain receiving specialized treatment.

Though the exact nature of the treatment Dončić received in Madrid, Spain, has not been made public, “by seeking treatment for his injury in Spain, Dončić isn’t breaking rules; he’s utilizing a medical toolbox that is much bigger than what we have available in the U.S.,” according to a report by Michael Duarte of the New York Post. If the data holds, Dončić’s return could come days earlier than expected, potentially reshaping the Lakers’ playoff outlook.

The treatments he received would include “platelet-rich plasma therapy, stem cells, exosomes, regenerative therapies that live in the gray space between innovation and regulation,” according to Duarte. But all that is known for sure about Dončić in Spain is that he received “‘multiple’ injections on his left hamstring over the last week in Spain to promote healing from his Grade 2 strain and potentially expedite his return to the floor,” according to a report by Andrés Soto of USA Today.

But Soto’s report also stated that “it remains unclear whether or not the treatment has sped up his recovery timeline from the standard 4-6 weeks.” Dončić was injured on April 2 in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. With the standard timeline for return from a Grade 2 hamstring strain, that would put Dončić back on the floor with the Lakers no earlier than April 30. But the Lakers open their playoff run with a game against the Houston Rockets on April 18.

But has Dončić sped up that timeline with the treatment he received in Spain?

What Does Data Say About Return Timeline?

Fortunately, determining whether Dončić can return in time for the playoffs, or at least sometime early in the first round, is not simply a matter of guesswork. A 2022 scientific research study by doctors at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia found exactly how athletes are affected, or not, by the type of injections the Slovenian six-time All-Star is likely to have received.

“The effect of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment on recovery in acute hamstring injuries is controversial. Previous study results are inconsistent, and a standardized therapeutic approach has not been established yet,” the researchers wrote. In the study of 55 athletes with hamstring injuries, 28 received conventional treatment. The other 27 were treated with a combination of hematoma aspiration and PRP injection.

Hematoma aspiration involves draining accumulated blood from an injured area with a needle or catheter, according to Larkin Health System.

The 2022 study found that athletes treated with PRP injections and hematoma aspiration returned to play about nine days sooner than those treated with conventional methods — 23.5 days on average compared to 32.4 days. In other words, assuming Dončić received that treatment in Spain, he could be expected to return as early as April 26, which likely falls midway through a potential seven-game playoff series.

Injections Also Lessen Risk of Repeat Injury

Athletes who received the specialized treatment were also less likely to suffer a recurrence of the hamstring injury, 4% compared to 28.6% without the treatment, according to the research data.

“Athletes with Grade 2 hamstring strains treated with a combination of hematoma aspiration and PRP injection had a significantly shorter return to play and a lower recurrence rate compared with athletes receiving conservative treatment,” the study’s authors wrote.

The specific treatment Dončić received has yet to be confirmed, but according to the study’s data, if it involved PRP and hematoma aspiration, which it likely did, the Lakers could get their 33.5 points-per-game star back during the first round of the NBA playoffs.