( CNN ) -- Golfers everywhere beware ! The knee problems that left Tiger Woods on the sidelines and threaten his bid to overtake Jack Nicklaus as the all-time majors winner are not solely the preserve of star players . If you are a middle-age golfer with an expanding waistline you too could be placing great strain on vulnerable joints . It seems Woods ' left knee gave out because of the `` tremendous forces '' he exerts during his swing , according to leading U.S. orthopedic specialist Dr. Nicholas A. DiNubile MD . He has treated many leading athletes during his career , including NBA star Allen Iverson and is the best-selling author of `` FrameWork - Your 7 Step Program for Healthy Muscles , Bones & Joints . '' `` Dr Nick has helped keep me keep me in one piece and that 's no easy job , '' reads a personal testimony from former Philadelphia 76ers star on the surgeon 's official website . But the bulk of DiNubile 's day-to-day work involves treating less impressive physical specimens than the likes of Woods and Iverson , and middle age golfers are among his biggest clients . `` I see perhaps three to six per day and I tell most of them they could do with dropping a few pounds , '' he told CNN . `` Every pound you are carrying equates to between five to eight in terms of pressure on the knee during a golf swing , '' he revealed . The good news for the average hacker is that they are unlikely to suffer such a drastic injury as that suffered by 14-time major winner Woods . He tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament ( ACL ) in 2008 and further problems flared up this year to sideline him from the U.S. and British Opens . DiNubile believes the former world number one can get back to his best , but warned : `` The knee is never quite the same when your tear the ACL . '' A birds'-eye view of how an ACL tear is fixed . And that is where Tiger and the high handicappers have something in common because DiNubile believes that arthritis is a factor `` unavoidable after ACL surgery however perfect the procedure . '' A common injury problem among golfers who have played for a number of years , other than lower back issues , is the tearing of the meniscus in the knee . Meniscus are shock absorbers and once they are damaged , the dreaded arthritis creeps in . With proper treatment , a good fitness program and shedding a few pounds , golfing careers can be extended , but DiNubile warns that arthritis `` goes through phases when it calms down , then out of the blue it comes back at you . '' DiNubile was a special advisor to the president 's council on physical fitness and sports in the first Bush administration and helped former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with his syndicated medical column . He has his own words of advice for Woods and other golfers suffering from a similar knee problem . `` Stay fit , lay off running , weights are great and there are joint supplements that help , as well as lubricants we can inject ( into the knee ) that tame arthritis a little . '' Woods returned to action last month after an 11-week layoff and before the tournament in Ohio told reporters he felt the `` fittest he 's been in years . '' The 35-year-old added : `` The great thing is I do n't feel a thing , Woods said of his left leg . `` It feels solid , it feels stable , no pain . That 's one of the reasons why I took as long as I did to come back is that I want to get to this point where I can go ahead and start playing golf again like this . '' Physically fit again he may be , but Woods has struggled on the course , finishing down the field at his comeback event and missing the cut at this week 's U.S. PGA Championship . DiNubile has no doubt he can still challenge in the majors , but like other golfers with knee problems believes it will be a limiting factor . `` I do think it will indeed change the potential of what he might have accomplished . It is a real issue , '' he concluded .
Leading U.S. orthopedic surgeon warns golfers about knee problems . Dr.Nicholas DiNibule says the average golfer could do with losing weight to lessen pressure on knee . Arthritis after a torn meniscus a very common problem he says . DiNibule believes Tiger Woods has arthritis after his ACL tear in his left knee .