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Golf swing involves not only the arms, but the whole body. After 18 holes of repetitive body rotation, you can put undue stress on your muscles if you do not have proper form. Common golf injuries can result, including back, shoulder, wrist, elbow and knee pain. How can golfers avoid pain that keeps them from a hole-in-one season? We break it down by injury type.
Golfer’s Elbow
In golf terms, our body parts are referred to as “lead” and “trail”. For example, a right-handed player leads with his left arm and trails with the right. Both lead and trail muscles are susceptible to injury.
One of the most common is “medial epicondylitis” or inflammation of the elbow. This condition can result from too much shock to the elbow, whether the player strikes something hard in the ground with the club or swings too far behind the ball. According to the PGA of America, clubs that absorb less of this shock can relieve joint stress.
Back Pain
Whether you’re a golf player or not, it’s likely you’ll experience some level of back pain in your lifetime. But for golfers in particular, swinging can put undue pressure on the spine.
In addition to the rotational swing, the hunched position of putting can cause minor muscle strain that can lead to serious injury over time. Since it would be less effective to putt with a straight spine, add back exercises to your daily regimen to ease the stress. At the end of a round, also make sure to stretch.
Knee Pain
When a golfer shifts his body into the swing and follow-through, the lead knee takes the brunt of this weight. The twisting motion puts additional pressure on the knee joint, which is the largest in our bodies. Golfers who have arthritis can experience accelerated cartilage degeneration over time. To avoid this painful injury, the pros recommend shifting the knee in front of the hip at the beginning of your swing and leaning back into the follow-through.
Shoulder Pain
In the game of golf, the most shoulder injuries occur at the backswing. When a golfer brings the club back behind her head, there is a significant risk of torn cartilage if the club is held incorrectly. According to Golf Digest Magazine, you are more injury-prone when keeping the left arm tight to your chest in the backswing. Rather than throwing the club back at full speed, focus more on your turn into the backswing to avoid a serious shoulder injury.
Wrist Pain
The most common cause of wrist injury among golfers is overuse of the tendons that make movement possible. The position in which we hold golf clubs is not always conducive to high impact! If you feel kickback in your wrist when you hit the ball, you may not be holding the club right. Avoid placing your thumb at 12:00 on the club; your hand should resemble a closed fist. Prevent wrist injury with strengthening exercises for the hand and forearm.
Golf Performance Enhancement
Whether you enjoy a round of golf every once in a while, or you’re an avid player, it’s important to prepare your body for the game to prevent injury.
At Integrated Rehabilitation Services, we offer a Golf Performance Enhancement Program to:
- Identify challenges impeding your swing
- Increase mobility and flexibility
- Improve balance on the follow-through
- Increase core and limb strength
- Decrease risk of injury
Our physical therapists can also help treat the common injuries experienced by golfers, including pre-existing injuries that have been aggravated out on the links.
To learn more about our Golf Performance Enhancement Program for individuals or groups, contact us today!