Top 5 Most Common Golf Injuries and How to Heal Them
Because golf is so relaxing, most people forget it’s a sport that puts a lot of strain on your body. Maybe it’s the use of golf carts that gives it such a leisurely outward appearance, but anyone who’s been on their share of greens knows better.
If you’re just getting into golf, you may be caught off guard by one of the most common golf injuries. It’s important to keep up good prevention habits like stretching and exercising ahead of meeting friends on the course. However, even the best practices can lead to one of these top 5 most common golf injuries.
1. Rotator cuff
Because of the nature of the swing, golfing makes it rather easy to tear the rotator cuff. It’s important that you protect your muscles in this area by doing strength training and lots of stretching. You’ll know it if you’ve injured your rotator cuff because it will hurt every time you try to raise your arm above shoulder level. Get rest, use ice and compression, and consider physiotherapy to help you heal faster.
2. Golf elbow
Golf elbow is the affectionate term for inflammation to the inner tendon of the elbow. Interestingly though, you may wind up with tennis elbow as well (which affects the outer part of the elbow) through playing golf. Practice proper swing techniques to ensure you’re not misusing those forearm muscles. Again, physiotherapy can really help if you wind up with golf elbow or tennis elbow.
3. Knee troubles
Lots of stress and strain goes on the knees as you set up the beginning of your swing. The older you get, the weaker knees become too. You should stretch your leg muscles and your core before you play through. Shoes that have good arch support will help. Some golfers even wear a knee brace to help add extra support. Don’t wait on knee pain…if it hurts, get it checked out so you can find a proper way to treat the problem.
4. Wrist tendinitis
As with your elbows, the tendons in your wrist can suffer from inflammation and fatigue. If it’s hard for you to hold your club properly or you can’t hold it at all, working with a physiotherapist can help you to learn exercises that will strengthen the tendons and bring you relief.
5. Back pain
It’s easy to hunch over your club to perfect your swing. Doing so often leads to lower back pain, though it’s just as common to get pain between the shoulder blades too. Practicing correct form and regularly working your back muscles will help avoid unnecessary back pain. Sometimes, all you need is some rest or to use both hot and cold packs. Over-the-counter pain relief to reduce inflammation will help too, but if this is a regular occurrence, you should consider massage therapy or chiropractic care.
Luckily, you can find physiotherapy, massage therapy, and chiropractic care all in one place…in your home. We have licensed and experienced professionals that can help you recover from your golf injuries when it’s convenient for you in your own home so you can get back to playing through again.
