Golf may be a low-impact sport, but that doesn’t mean it’s without injury. Tiger Woods serves as a prime example, having suffered repeated back and knee injuries throughout his career. Jack Niklaus’s back pain eventually became so severe he couldn’t stand for more than 10 minutes.
Golf Injury Treatments
Avid golf players can attest to the pain of overuse injuries caused by their favorite sport. Shoulder, elbow, hip, and back pain can all stop golfers from swinging their clubs. Medication and physical therapy can manage mild pain and discomfort, but further treatments may be necessary when the pain becomes debilitating.
Most patients hope to avoid surgery, especially when considering recovery times. For example, the average recovery period for spinal surgeries is 4-6 months, while knee surgeries may require rehabilitation that goes on weeks or months before patients are active again.
Stem Cell Therapy
Regenerative medicine, also known as stem cell therapy, is a non-invasive treatment intended to replace and repair the body’s damaged cells.
Stem cells are essential human cells that can develop into various other cell types, called specialized cells. Specialized cells serve specific roles in the body, like blood cells or brain cells. Stem cells can also divide to form more stem cells.
Stem cells may initiate tissue repair by locating damaged tissue and then working to replace or remedy injured or dying cells.
Common Golfing Injuries
Most golfing injuries stem from overuse. The explosive nature of the golf swing can put a lot of stress on the body. Many golfers experience an injury at some point in time. The most common injuries include:
- Back pain
- Tendonitis in the elbow
- Knee pain
- Rotator cuff injuries
- Wrist injuries
- Hand and finger injuries
- Hip injuries
- Neck injuries
While swing mechanics can adjust the rate of injury golfers experience, many professional golfers tend to have more wrist and hand problems than amateurs.
Stem Cell Therapy for Golf Injuries
Stem cell therapy serves as a promising treatment option for golfers looking to avoid surgery or improve healing time after surgery. By administering stem cells into the damaged joint site, the cells may improve the healing and regenerative abilities of the other cells in the injured area.
The stem cells may potentially rebuild new tissue and reduce inflammation in the damaged tissue.
Golfers who try stem cell therapy for their overuse injuries report positive results. Even iconic golfer Jack Niklaus credits stem cell treatments for his pain-free return to the golf course.
This post was written by a medical professional at Stemedix Inc. At Stemedix we provide access to Regenerative Medicine for Orthopedic also known as Orthopedic Stem cell Therapy. Regenerative medicine has the natural potential to help improve symptoms sometimes lost from the progression of many conditions.