Losing Distance in Golf? It Might Be a Meniscus Tear (Not Your Swing)

Why Golfers Lose Distance from Knee Pain 0:00

You think you're losing three to four strokes per round because your swing is offline. No, you are losing them because you trail knee is dead by hole 12. By the time you finish your 18, your follow through is 10% shorter. Your drive is for some reason 15 yards shorter and you have no idea why. Look, that's not a swing flaw. That's a medial meniscus tear. And that is the number one knee injury that has destroying golfers games. Now in the next 10 minutes, I'm going to show you exactly why this happens.

I am going show three things that you can start doing today to stop it from getting worse. and I also gonna show a smart middle path between just grin and bear it and it's time for the operating. So stay with me. This one could add 10 yards back to your drive. Are you ready? Let's get into it. My name is Dr. Guyen Puvendrin. Over the last 15 years, I have helped thousands of golfers eliminate their knee pain without resorting to invasive surgery. And yes, i'm a golfer too.

Meet the Doctor and What This Video Covers 0:58

I'm more of a golf enthusiast. i like watching the game.I like getting out there and playing, but nobody is ever going to confuse me for the new club pro. my swing would never stand up to that scrutiny. Now, before we get too far into, here's something really important that I need you to know. Everything that you're about to hear is general education. This is not personalized medical advice. Your knee is unique to you. So if you are in pain, you need to go see a physician and get a real workout.

But by the end of this video, You'll know exactly what to ask for and what avoid. Alright, ready? Let's start with a patient story. I had this guy come in to see me last month. He was 63 years young. He is a scratch golfer and runs a $30 million company. But he couldn't finish nine holes without having pain on the inside of his left knee. And how did you describe it? He thought of it was a burying pain. Here's what most people get wrong. They think that you can only get a meniscus tear from a sudden twist or something violent like you see in basketball or soccer.

How Golf Swings Stress the Medial Meniscus 1:51

Wrong. In golf, the rotational torque of your swing, especially on the downswing, this is when your trail foot plants and your hips fire. This puts massive sheer force on your medial meniskus. Think of the meniscus like the grooves on your wedge. When they're sharp and fresh, you can control the ball and get the spin you want. But when they are worn down or start to get smooth, You lose your spin. You loose your control. And then what happens? Lose your confidence. That inside of the knee pain, that is your medial meniscus screaming for help.

Now, at 40 or 50 or 60, your menuscus is like a cold rubber band. At 20, it is warm and elastic. It is the same cushion, but now it tears easier. And here's the kicker. Medial Menuscous tears are the most commonly diagnosed knee injury in golfers, followed right behind knee arthritis. So when you've got early arthritis in your knee plus a degenerative meniscus tear, the symptoms, they look identical. You have pain on the inside of your knees. We'll have stiffness that develops after about nine holes.

you can get swelling by the 14th hole. Eventually, you may feel like you get that feeling in you knee that it's just going to give out. Now, You do need to go see a specialist now if you have any of the following. If you are rocking or catching in the joint, if the knee does actually give way or give if you have pain at night or at rest or if swelling that does not

When Knee Symptoms Need Specialist Care 3:14

go down after 48 hours. Now, most guys they're in the early to moderate zone and that's good news because that is exactly where things like regenerative medicine shine. But before we get there, let's get into this. Most of my patients, they don't want a pamphlet or they want to hand out. They want an actual game plan. So I'm going to give you three things that I tell my patient that you can start this week to help with your knee pain. Number one, fix your warm up. Two minutes can change everything.

That same 63 year old golfer, he watches my videos, He was warming up with an elastic band, but he was doing it backwards. He would stretch his hip flexors first, But then he would never activate his glutes. Your gluts, those big beefy muscles on your butt, they are your engine. If they're off, your knee takes the hit.

Three Ways to Protect Your Knee 4:07

Remember back when Tiger was struggling coming back from his back surgery? What did he keep complaining of? He kept complaining about decreased glute activation. Eventually, he had to go have knee surgery number five for cartilage issues. Now, I'm not saying that he has a meniscus problem, but your menuscus is made out of cartilages. So to hopefully prevent you from having the same thing happen, do this before every single round. This is your warm-up. Ten reps of bodyweight squats. 10 walking lunges per leg.

And do clam shells with a resistance band. Do 15 per side. Stop. stop stretching cold muscles like it's 1995. Before every round, all you have to do is these 10 squats, 10, walking, lunged, and 15 clam, shells, with the resistance bands. That's two minutes. that's going to save your knee for the next 18 holes. I've got a free 5-minute golf knee warm-up guide with the exact routine that I recommend, and there's a link in the description below. Download it. Your future self on Hole 16 will thank you.

Fix number two is strengthen the inside chain with a resistance band. Think of your hip abductors and your glute medius like the stance base of you swing. If you have a weak foundation, your knee is going to collapse inwards on the downswing. And that, my friends, is medial meniscus suicide. So grab that resistance band. I have the link in the description below. Do these exercises three times a week. Lateral band walks. 15 steps in each direction. Perminal knee extensions. 12 repetitions per leg.

Single leg stands with a band around your thigh. 30 seconds on each leg Now, you can do this in your driveway, in the garage, or even in office. This is 10 minutes three times a week, that's all I'm asking. That's it. You don't need to have a gym membership to do these things. Your knee doesn't fail because you're old. It fails because your glutes quit first. These 10-minutes with a resistance band three-times-a-week, and you'll stand taller, swing cleaner, finish the 18 holes without that inside kneeburn.

Fix number three is swing mechanics. There are two fixes that can help save your knee. So I had another patient, he was 58 years old, a five handicap and a real estate developer. He had inside knee pain after every round. Now after a thorough analysis, we had him set up with a golf specific physical therapist that got him to do two things.

Swing Adjustments That Reduce Knee Torque 6:18

Choke up half an inch on his irons and shorten his backswing by 10 degrees. His pain was gone after three weeks. Not because his knee healed overnight, not because he needed surgery, but because we ended up reducing the torque on his knees. These two mechanical tweaks, clubbing down on your irons means that you have to swing with less force. Having a wider stance means you'll have less rotation on the trail knee. Now look, I'm not saying that by implementing these you're going to start winning your club championship, but if your knee stops complaining, you might finally beat your buddy Rick.

And let's be honest, that might be worth its own MVP award. These are small changes and they have a massive return on investment. That's golf and that's life. Now, here's the spectrum of care. There's conservative care, traditional things, physical therapy, cortisone injections, anti-inflammatory medicines. There's regenerative medicine, and then there's surgery. Most guys that I see, they're stuck between the push and get through it or grin and bear it, And it's time for me to get wheeled into surgery!

Regenerative Medicine, things like PRP or stem cell injections, this is a smart middle path for the right patient.

Regenerative Medicine as the Middle Path 7:27

Now, as of 2025, PRT is no longer just experimental. It is one of the leading biologic options for knee arthritis. And in 2026, $140 million went into stem cell trials for the knee arthritis, signaling significant institutional competence. I would know I'm taking part in these trials. So who's a good candidate? You're a candidate for these treatments if you have mild to moderate arthritis. You've tried physical therapy, the bands, you've put in the work, worked on your mechanics, and you still have pain.

If you want to avoid surgery for as long as possible, or if your playing two rounds or more per week and refuse to slow down. Who is not a Candidate? Well, you're not a candidate for regenerative medicine if your joint space is gone, like your bone on bone, or if you have an unstable knee that has mechanical symptoms like locking or buckling or giving way, Or if, if not willing to modify your load, at least for a little bit. Regenerative Medicine isn't a miracle. It is an investment in performance and longevity.

Its an investing in staying active with your kids and playing those bucket list courses and finishing 18 holes without limping. Now, I don't recommend these treatments for everyone. I only recommend it when the return on investment is clear. All right, let's lock in five key takeaways from today. Number one, the medial meniscus is the number one injury in golfers. Your meniskus is like the grooves on your wedge. When it starts to wear down, you start to lose control and you're starting to loose confidence.

number two, make sure that you warm up properly before every round. 10 squats, 10 lunges, 15 clamshells. Number three, do these resistance band exercises three times a week, lateral walks, terminal knee extensions, and leg stands on a single leg.

Key Takeaways and Next Steps 9:08

number four, regenerative medicine is a smart middle path, but it is not a miracle. It is it performance investment. You don't have to be the guy on hole 14 that's walking funny. and wondering if this is your year to quit golf. Now, if you're serious about the game, download my free five-minute golf knee warm-up guide. There is a link in the description. That is you next right step. All right, I'm Dr. Guyen Poovendran. I hope to see you pain-free on the fairway. And if the video helped you, share it with your buddy that's been complaining about his knee pain.