“Winners never quit and quitters never win.” Athletes, especially high-performance athletes, push themselves at twice their capacity to reach their maximum potential. However, in this overexertion their body can become injured.
Sprains, muscle or joint pain and, in the worst cases, fractures are some of the injuries to which athletes are constantly exposed. Without proper treatment, an injury can end an athlete’s professional career.
Today we will talk about the most common injuries in athletes and how stem cell treatment can accelerate recovery, avoid surgery and help combat ailments in an integrated way with basic medical treatment.
Most common sports injuries
Athletes are constantly exposed to injuries of all kinds, whether due to accidents, falls or the overload caused by long training sessions. The most frequent are:
- Sprains. Injuries caused by the stretching of a ligament, that is, the tissue that connects the bone to the joint. The most common are in the ankle and wrist and are usually caused by falls, blows or frequent contortions in sports such as athletics, soccer, running, basketball, field hockey, among others. In severe cases, the ligament may rupture and cause a lot of pain.
- Strains. Injuries in which muscles or tendons are overstretched or rupture. The most common are in the back, feet, hamstrings and calves. They can develop gradually or rupture suddenly, causing a lot of pain and difficulty moving the affected area. They are frequent in contact sports and where it is practiced at high speed: athletics, soccer, basketball, rugby or field hockey.
• Shoulder injuries. Sports such as basketball, tennis or baseball can cause shoulder injuries such as rotator cuff tears, dislocations, tendonitis or SLAP injury or rupture in the structure that stabilizes the joint.
• Knee injuries. Knees are one of the most injury-prone joints in sports, especially in soccer, basketball and weightlifting. The most frequent are ligament ruptures, meniscus tears, sprains, strains or tendinitis.
What types of sports injuries are treated with stem cells?
Stem cell therapy is a treatment that is part of regenerative medicine, which has proven to be very effective for a wide variety of sports injuries, especially those involving damage to musculoskeletal tissues. The most frequently treated are:
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture
In knee injuries, the ACL is one of the most frequently associated with sports as a result of blows, sprains, falls, awkward landings after jumps, joint overload, sudden changes of direction when running.
Rotator cuff tear
The most common shoulder injury is a tear of one or more tendons of the rotator cuff: a group of muscles and tendons that gives stability to the shoulder and allows the arm to move. It is usually caused by accidents such as falling on an outstretched arm, lifting heavy objects overhead, or repetitive motions such as batting.
Achilles tendon rupture
The longest tendon in the human body is known as the Achilles tendon, which connects the heel bone to the calf muscle. A rupture, in addition to being painful, can lead to loss of foot function, so it is essential to treat it immediately. This injury is associated with sports that involve sudden changes of speed and direction, as in soccer.
Meniscal injuries
The menisci are crescent-shaped cartilages found in the knee joint. The most common injuries are tears and can be caused by sharp turns, direct blows to the knee, spending a long time squatting, sudden turns, changes in direction or speed typical of sports such as soccer, basketball, skiing or field hockey.
Hamstring strain
The hamstrings are the muscles at the back of the thigh and strain in this area is usually caused by muscle overload, previous injuries that did not heal properly, insufficient warm-up or lack of stretching upon completion.
Stem cell therapy sports injuries
Stem cell therapy for the treatment of sports injuries consists of transplanting stem cells into the injured area in order to accelerate the human body’s healing mechanisms and promote tissue regeneration.
The most common injuries treated with stem cells are those affecting soft tissues such as ligaments, tendons and cartilage. While conventional treatments exist to improve these conditions, most focus on symptoms and inflammation.
Stem cells stimulate tissue regeneration, accelerate healing, reduce the risk of degeneration and allow athletes to return to their sport in less time and in a similar state of health to that which they had before the injury.
- The specialist must evaluate the patient’s general condition, the severity of the injury and the objectives to be achieved with stem cell therapy, whether it is a faster recovery, avoiding surgery or tissue regeneration.
- The number of sessions and the most appropriate way to obtain stem cells is recommended.
- Autologous stem cells are obtained from the patient’s own body, bone marrow or abdominal subcutaneous fat.
- The stem cells receive a treatment to be re-infused into the patient in the desired area through injections.
Some athletes who have resorted to stem cell therapy are:
- Michael Schumacher. The German ex-driver received stem cells twice after a fall while skiing in 2013 in order to regenerate his nervous system.
- Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2016 The Sun newspaper reported that the soccer player received stem cell treatment to combat knee injuries.
- Rafael Nadal. In 2014, the tennis player from Manacor underwent stem cell treatment for his knees and stated that thanks to the therapy he managed to end his ailments.
- Luis Suárez. In 2018, the Spanish soccer player resorted to stem cells to combat discomfort in his right knee.
Benefits of stem cell treatment for athletes
Stem cell therapy has many benefits for athletes:
- It is a safe treatment, which is performed with cells obtained from the patient himself, so there is no risk of rejection or adverse effects.
- The treatment is minimally invasive, and no recovery time is required after stem cell insufflation.
- Stem cells are the source of life in the human body, they are undifferentiated and omnipotent, which means that they can differentiate into bone, cartilage or muscle cells, thus replacing the damaged ones and stimulating the regeneration of the injured areas.
- They are obtained easily, without pain or risk for the patient.
- They help reduce inflammation, relieve pain, accelerate healing and recovery time.
- By reducing inflammation, the risks of future injury are reduced.
- Anyone is a candidate for stem cell therapy and can see results in a short time.
Improve your recovery at Cell Regen Clinic with stem cells
Stem cell therapy has proven to obtain satisfactory results in the treatment of sports injuries, pain reduction, inflammation and tissue regeneration.
If you suffered a sports injury, in CRC we have a team of highly trained specialists in stem cell joint therapy, stem cell back treatment, stem cell shoulder therapy, and stem cell therapy for knees. Our clinic is equipped with the most advanced technology in regenerative medicine to get the results you crave.
Explore these treatments and more by navigating through our site, and schedule your appointment with our specialists through the contact form, where our consultants will be happy to assist you.
