Many golfers, including casual, experienced, and professional ones, deal with pain relating to the sport at some point in time. Besides the mental strength, flexibility, and amount of skill required of golf, there are repetitive motions that can cause injuries. Do you have lingering aches or sharp pain as a golfer? In this article we’re going to cover the 5 most common injuries sustained by golfers.
1. Back Pain – Nearly 65 million Americans report recent episodes of back pain and 8% experience it persistently. Back pain can be extremely limiting, even making everyday activities difficult. Golfers deal with back pain for two primary reasons. First, golfers spend hours in a bent over position. When playing more golf than normal, you may also be feeling a strain on your back because of the explosive nature of your swing. Treatment for back pain includes mobility, a customized program to strengthen your back, evaluation of your swing, and exercises to fix the root cause. 2. Tendinitis – Tendinitis, often referred to as “tennis elbow” and “golfers elbow” is a common golf injury. Golfers experience both tennis and golfers elbow, with the only difference being which tendon is irritated. As we age, our risk of tendinitis increases. Repetition, such as hitting golf balls, also makes this much more likely. Treatment for tendinitis looks like improving mechanics, soft tissue work, and strengthening to prevent discomfort.3. Shoulder Pain – Rotator cuff tears, impingement, and shoulder joint instability are all common with golfers. Are you having shoulder pain? This should be evaluated sooner than later. Overuse and poor technique are the two major factors that cause shoulder pain in golfers. Many patients sustaining these types of injuries respond well to nonsurgical treatment that includes muscular strengthening, flexibility work, and a proper warm-up customized to meet your needs.
4. Knee Pain – Believe it or not, knees are a huge part of golf! Because the sport requires so much hip rotation, our knees are used to stabilize us and ground us. Knee injuries in golf tend to happen at the beginning of the swing when there is a strain on the supporting knee ligaments. Treatment on knee pain varies depending on if ligaments are torn or sprained, or if the kneecap has sustained injuries.
5. Wrist Injuries – Like in the elbow, tendonitis can also occur in the wrist. Some golfers opt to wear a wrist brace to help with this type of pain. However, any persistent wrist pain should be evaluated. A high speed swing can put wrists at risk at impact. Treatment for wrists focuses on rest, exercises to strengthen the wrist, and functional movement patterns.
As with any patient at Pursuit Physical Therapy, if you are experiencing any of the above symptoms or injuries, we will thoroughly evaluate you. We will ask you questions to hear about what you are experiencing and analyze the injury with tests to determine the root cause of your pain. Lingering pain is NOT normal! Let’s solve the issue and get you back to playing golf better than ever before!
