Retired pro-golfer Jack Nicklaus has spoken for the first time about how an experimental stem cell therapy has enabled him to play golf again after years of debilitating back pain.
Speaking at the Unite to Cure conference on 27 April in Vatican City, Nicklaus ā also known as the Golden Bear ā told how he had suffered from back pain since he was a child, which was unsuccessfully treated with cortisol injections.
Then two years ago, when he was 76, he met doctor at the birthday party ofĀ American healthcare philanthropist Denny Sanford. It was a serendipitous meeting; Alt had pioneered an experimental stem cell treatment in his clinic in Munich, Germany. āI decided to give stem cells a go,ā said Nicklaus, who went on to become one of the first patients. He had to travel to Germany for the treatment because it is not approved in the US, where stem cell therapy is highly regulated.
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By the time he underwent the treatment in March 2016, Nicklausā back pain was so bad he had trouble standing. āI could not hit a golf ball without hurting. I could not stand up for more than 10 minutes,ā he said.
During the treatment developed by Alt, the source of the pain is first diagnosed using ultrasound. Liposuction is then used to take a sample of fat tissue from the abdomen or buttocks and is then processed to leave a solution rich in fat-derived stem cells. These are of the same lineage of cells that can produce cartilage or bone, says , Executive VP of research at Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The cells were injected back into Nicklausā back in an outpatient procedure that meant he was allowed to leave hospital the next day. Thanks to the therapy, Nicklaus says he can play golf again free of pain, and can stand for āas long as I wantā.
Topping up
The therapy seems to work by alleviating inflammation at the site of the pain, but it could also help to repair damaged tissue. āIn animal studies there has been regeneration of the tissue that is inflamed,ā Pearce says. Whatās more, it is safe because it uses the patientās own cells, rather than a donor, he says.
Nicklaus is now about to return to Munich to have the same treatment for a rotator cuff injury in his shoulder. While he is there, he plans to get a top up of stem cells in his back.
Pearce, who is leading trials of the therapy for rotator cuff injury in the US, says the therapy tends to be a one-time treatment. The US Food and Drug Administration has now approved Sanford Health to conduct a trial on back pain in the US using Altās method, which should start in June, Pearce says. āIn the US the most common reason people show up in the ER is back pain,ā he adds.
Nicklaus said the reason he hadnāt spoken out about his treatment before was simply that nobody had asked him about it. Both of his sons have now received the same therapy.
āIāve become a believer and Iāve had nice results,ā Nicklaus told the conference. āI tell people āyou better get a plane to Munich or wait for the FDA to approve itā,ā although he reckons the first option is the most realistic right now.
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