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Philadelphia Eagles center Cam Jurgens and QB Jalen Hurts
After taking over as the Philadelphia Eagles starting center following the retirement of franchise legend Jason Kelce, Cam Jurgens has been one of the best as his position.
The Eagles believed as much when they signed the 26-year-old to a four-year, $68 million contract last April, keeping the two-time Pro Bowler in the fold for years to come.
And for as good as Jurgens has been in his brief four-year career, there’s one thing he hasn’t been able to beat fully: a nagging back injury.
Jurgens Leaves U.S. for Injury Treatment
Philadelphia Eagles center Cam Jurgens
The former second-round pick has been dealing with back pain ever since Philadelphia’s 40-22 domination of the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX last February.
He had surgery to fix the issue just nine days after that win, but it wasn’t permanently fixed, which is why Jurgens found himself in Columbia getting stem cell treatment to hopefully fix his lingering back issues once and for all.
“Thank you to the great people at @bioxcellerator, I had a health reset week of treatments and Stem Cells. Excited for this healing and getting my body absolutely right for this upcoming season! #gobirds,” Jurgens wrote on his Instagram page.
Despite playing the 2025 season with the back issue, Jurgens still had a solid showing.
He started all 14 games he played, allowing zero sacks, 11 pressures, 10 hurries, and 1 QB hit on 873 offensive snaps played. Brett Toth (164 snaps, 2 sacks, 13 pressures, 11 hurries, 1 QB hit allowed) and Drew Kendall (89 snaps, zero sacks, 1 pressure, 1 hurry allowed) filled in for Jurgens in Philly’s other 3 games.
“We got 70 million stem cells here about to go in,” Jurgens said in the video. “… I’m excited to get healthy and get ready for this next season so that’s why I’m down here. Excited for the healing and getting better. The experience down here has been incredible.”
Jurgens’ treatment plan included a doctor’s consultation, intradiscal application, cryotherapy, ozone therapy, and physical therapy.
Why Jurgens Sought Treatment in Another Country
Stem cells are used to speed up injury recovery and treat chronic pain. Treatment can shorten recovery windows and allow athletes to get back on the field sooner than with traditional surgery and rehabilitation methods.
Stem cell therapy is legal in the U.S. but only when approved by the FDA, and only for treating certain blood, cancer, and immune disorders — not for “common” ailments and injuries such as those accrued by NFL stars.
Countries outside of the U.S. often offer experimental stem cell treatments at a reduced cost because of the relaxed governmental restrictions, which is why it’s an appealing treatment option for players in Jurgens’ position.
Despite not being approved by the FDA, NFL players don’t typically face any sort of disciplinary action from the league for seeking stem cell treatment outside the country.
Stem cells are not banned by the NFL, and they’ve been used several times before by high-profile players like San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, former Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill, and former Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning.
Michael Gallagher Michael Gallagher is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com. He has more than a decade of experience working for both local and national news outlets covering the NFL, NHL, NBA, WNBA, college football, and MMA. His work has been featured in Newsweek, Yahoo Sports, Fox Sports, Athlon Sports, The Hockey News, the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, and Yardbarker. More about Michael Gallagher
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