Golf injuries

Golf Injuries

Causes of injury
Overuse injuries and aggravation of previous injuries are common. Such injuries typically occur in the lower back, hands / wrist / elbow, knee and shoulder. These injuries are not usually severe but can limit performance. In golf, injuries usually occur because of:-

Overuse / too much practice
Poor swing style and too much twisting
Hitting the ground or objects other than the ball
Aggravation of a previous injury
Being hit by a club or ball
Falls on the golf course

Arthritis and golf
Many golf players are in the over 50 age bracket. These people often have degenerative changes in their spines, limb joints and soft tissues (such as tendons). Because of this, they may be prone to aggravating these aging joints and tissues. Another factor is that aging tissue and joints often lose flexibility. This can limit performance and cause frustration.

Physical conditioning
It is important that golfers undergo physical conditioning for their sport. A round of golf can be surprisingly taxing on your body. It may involve walking 7 – 10 km, pulling a buggy, and hitting between 80 – 120 balls in a round. Golfers need to condition themselves for this by jogging or going for long walks; by carrying out weight / strength training and by doing flexibility work.

Improving performance
If you want to improve performance, seeing a PGA instructor is vital to help you improve your swing mechanics. Improving physical conditioning is also important. One underutilized measure is visiting your physiotherapist for regular stretching of your muscles and joints. Of particular importance is your spine. Your physiotherapist can show you “core stability” exercises and other exercises to work on your weak spots.

Warm up
All players should undertake an adequate warm-up before each game. This should include gentle spine, leg and arm stretches. This should be followed by gentle air swings and hitting balls on the practice range.

What to do if an injury occurs
Injured players, irrespective of how severe the injury is, should seek first aid or prompt treatment of their injury. Injured golfers should not resume playing until they have recovered adequately from their injury. Seeing your physiotherapist can help you overcome golf injury as quickly as possible.