When investigating the movements involved in golf, from the body’s rotation in the swing, to a player’s grip and foot placement, it may seem obvious that most common golf injuries are in the joints and lower back. Regenerative medicine treatments and its healing properties may help improve most of the common golf injuries.
Most Common Golf Injuries
Even casual golfers may be prone to sustain injuries. Some of the more common golf injuries include:
- Lower Back Pain – Golfers may spend up to 4-5 hours in a bent over stance. Add to that the rotational stresses brought on by the swing and you see the considerable pressure on the spine and muscles.
- Tendinitis in the Elbow – Tendinitis is the most common condition affecting the elbow. It is frequently referred to as “tennis elbow” when there is an injury to the outer tendon, and “golfer’s elbow” when there is an injury to the inner elbow.
- Knee Pain – A golfer’s outer knee is put under a lot of stress as it stabilizes the hips through the rotation of a golf swing.
- Rotator Cuff – Golfers can develop tendinitis, bursitis, and tears in the rotator cuff due to the repetitive motion of the golf swing.
- Hip Injury – The golf swing involves an enormous amount of pivoting and twisting movements. Hip tendonitis, inflammation, pain, and micro-tears in the hip’s soft tissues are all common golf injuries.
Regenerative Medicine Treatments
The central issue in most golf injuries is damage to the ligaments, tendons, and connective tissues. Fortunately regenerative medicine treatments such as PRP injections and Stem Cell Therapy can get you back on the golf course with little to no down time. They are also considered minimally invasive.
- PRP Injections – PRP or Platelet-rich plasma injections take a person’s own blood and spin it in a centrifuge to separate the platelets from the blood. The platelets contain growth factors which help repair torn or damaged ligaments. They are infected into the problematic area such as the elbow, hips, and knees and begin stimulating tissue repair and regeneration of healthier cells. Regenerative medicine with PRP can be used on almost any joint in the body.
- Stem Cell Therapy – Stem Cells are harvested in a few different ways. Regardless of method, stem cells may be injected where needed in the body. For instance with the common lower back pain synonymous with golf, the stem cells can be injected into the joints between the vertebrae. These stem cells will find the damaged tissue, stimulate tissue repair and regeneration, and finally replace damaged or dying cells. Stem cells are also responsible for significantly reducing inflammation.
More golfers are now turning to regenerative medicine to treat their common golf injuries. Regenerative medicine treatments are minimally invasive with little risk, and have proven to be quite effective at healing with hardly any downtime. For more information on regenerative medicine treatments for golf injuries, please call us at 305-666-8883.