It is a procedure that is more commonly associated with high-dose chemotherapy to treat cancer patients.
Stem cell treatment is one of the most valuable tools in medical science and now it is being used in the sporting world to aid injury recovery.
Tom Curry has used a pioneering stem-cell procedure over the festive period to re-build the cartilage in his hip.
According to Sale coach Alex Sanderson, the England flanker underwent the procedure with a long-term view to being fit for the 2027 World Cup.
Mail Sport spoke to Curry’s surgeon, Damian Griffin, who explained how the procedure could be at the forefront of sports science in 2025.
‘The need to repair cartilage is being seen as increasingly important in sport,’ said Griffin. ‘We see a lot of rugby players and footballers with this problem.
England star Tom Curry (pictured) has had a stem-cell procedure to prolong his career
Golf icon Tiger Woods has also undergone stem-cell treatment to recover from injuries
Basketball legend Steph Curry has also used the same treatment to stay at the top of his game
‘There’s a number of ways athletes can damage the cartilage lining of the joint – the smooth, shiny surface that you see on the end of a chicken drumstick bone. Having two layers of that side by side is what gives you a very smooth moving joint.
‘It’s a problem where the ball of the hip doesn’t fit in the socket properly so it’s like having a square peg in a round hole. As a consequence, a patch of cartilage within the socket gets worn right the way down. You end up with a patch that could be the size of a postage stamp that is completely bare bone. We try to fill that with something and that’s where we can use some cells from another part of the body that turn into cartilage cells, helping to repair that damage.
‘There’s a lot of it done with the knee joint but it’s a bit more unusual with the hip because it’s quite hard to get into the hip with keyhole surgery. Andy Murray had a problem with his hip but it wasn’t possible to repair his cartilage so it eventually wore out, to the extent where he had to have a hip replacement. Metal pieces to replace the damaged cartilage in the ball and the socket. He’s an example of what we’re trying to catch a bit earlier and prevent happening.’
In America, the likes of Steph Curry and Tiger Woods have already used forms of stem-cell treatment.
So, how does the procedure actually work? The operation takes around four hours and the recovery period can be short, with Curry already back in action for Sale for their remarkable defensive stand against Bristol last week.
‘We can take the stem cells from the bone marrow – usually putting a needle into the pelvis and sucking the marrow out,’ said Griffin. ‘We might take 100ml of bone marrow liquid and separate out 3ml of stem cells. Another place we can take them from is fat, like a more delicate method of liposuction. They’re both used commonly on athletes.
‘We also have a technique called microfracture where we drill very small holes in the surface of the exposed bone, where the cartilage is missing. That allows cells from underneath the joint to come up through these little holes into the repair area. That’s a technique that’s been around for quite a long time, used for knee treatment.
‘Sometimes we simply inject the cells into the joint and other times we embed them in a scaffold. You can use a mesh or a foam to put into the defect, glue in place and fill with stem cells. The felt is made of collagen. It’s woven into a little mat, cut into place and stuck in place. It’s loaded with stem cells which react as if they’re in a joint and turn into cartilage. We often combine all of these techniques together. If we can help the body heal using natural materials that are already in the body, that’s got to be a good thing.’
Tom Curry was back in action last week after recovering remarkably quickly from his treatment
Team England Rugby are the player’s body that was set up by national team stars including Joe Marler (left), who recently retired, and Jamie George
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Hot competition for Performance Director role
More than 50 candidates have applied for the role of Performance Director for Team England Rugby Ltd.
TER are the player’s body that was set up by the likes of Jamie George, Joe Marler and Ellis Genge to represent the collective on and off-field rights of England internationals.
The role, which is independent of the RFU, involves monitoring athlete management programs as the sport tries to build a new working relationship between club and country.
Deals to be done for Sale
Sale are preparing for a bumper month of contract news, with the likes of Tom Roebuck, Arron Read and Luke Cowan-Dickie all ready to extend their stay at the club.
Alex Sanderson is stepping up his retention plans for next season, with lock Jonny Hill among the players fighting for a new contract.
Scrum-half Raffi Quirke has attracted interest from rival clubs such as Harlequins, while heavyweight forward Jean-Luc du Preez is wanted in France.
Tom Roebuck has broken into the England squad and is ready to extend his stay at Sale
Tying down Raffi Quirke may be trickier as he is attracting interest from elsewhere
Maher’s debut proving unmissable
Bristol are on track for a bumper crowd of 10,000 for Ilona Maher’s debut against Hartpury on Sunday.
The American rugby superstar arrived in the UK this week to begin a three-month contract in the women’s Premiership.
With more social media followers than the likes of Siya Kolisi and Antoine Dupont, her arrival has provided an unsurprising surge in ticket sales.
Ilona Maher (pictured) is now a global superstar and a huge crowd is expected to watch her Bristol debut this weekend
Sausage surprise for ecstatic Exeter
Rob Baxter handed out an unusual bonus for his Exeter players after they finally ended their losing streak.
The Chiefs secured their first win since May with a 22-15 victory over Gloucester on Sunday. Their reward? Extra sausages for breakfast.
‘There’s a nice spark, the players get a bit of an extra breakfast treat when we win, which they like,’ said Baxter.
‘We treat new year a bit differently to Christmas – we just run through. I told the lads to go upstairs, have a beer and celebrate the win after the match.’
