Being a sport that has gained tremendous increase in popularity over the recent years, there now are approximately 30 million golfers in the United States alone. An average golfer spends more days practicing than competing rounds annually. Do you know what usually happens during practice golfing sessions?
Injuries do happen in golf despite it having somewhat of a relaxed kind of sport. While it all looks quite easy as one would just have to stand up, make the swing and continue again. But it’s not that simple; the golf technique requires a lot of practice and even if you’re a Pro, you might want to hit a bit further, get your ball out of the rough or bunker and might use a little bit more force than the proper swing technique requires. This could already cause a minor or major injury!
Getting an injury is very common and even the Pros have golf injuries which can have huge impacts on their play or make them having to take a (short) break until fully recovered. Golf Pros that had (or have) injuries are for instance Tiger Woods (lower back, neck, knee, Achilles tendon), Rory McIlroy (ankle) and Paula Creamer (shoulder). Taking rest, physiotherapy and/or wearing proper braces can treat many problems. There are special sport medical braces available for wrists, back pain, shoulders, etc.
See here a list of the 10 most common golf injuries:
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Back Pain
This tops the list of the most common golf injuries as this can happen to both amateurs and professional golf players. The reason behind this is because of the famous golf swing that you probably have been practicing all year long. You might have mastered it by now but even then you will have an uncontrolled swing or use too much force once in a while. If you’re unlucky this can come along with a problematic back pain.
Now remember the stance that you need to perfect in order to get that perfect swing? That contributes as well to your already problematic back. Back pain in golfers can be due to muscle strain, mechanical problems, disk related, arthritis, or even a stress fracture.
What golfers can do to prevent this is to practice proper stretching before the game, know proper back mechanics, and train a lot on the perfect swing. Placing the feet too far apart must also be avoided.
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Wrist Problems
What do typists, medical transcriptionists, and golfers have in common? Their common denominators are various kinds of wrist problems most specifically carpal tunnel syndrome. In general is this a repetitive stress disorder that affects the nerves at the wrist. Common symptoms are pain in the wrist area, numbness, tingling sensation, and weakness.
Possible treatments include rest, medication, splinting, and in severe cases may warrant surgery.
Many golfers have problems with their wrists as well due to high grip pressure. The golf swing should be fluent and does not require high pressure. High pressure will even make the swing less fluent and therefore less accurate. What golfers should do is to reduce the grip pressure on the club grip. You can practice this at the driving range with minimal pressure and see the outcome.
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Shoulder Pain
Shoulder injuries have greatly increased along with the increase in popularity of golf. It could be due to a rotator cuff tendonitis, tear, impingement, acromioclavicular joint arthritis, instability, or a scapular lag. Possible treatment options depending on the severity of the injury would be to rest, medication, therapy, cortisone injections, and even surgery.
In order to prevent more serious shoulder pain injuries, always do proper stretching of your shoulder joints before the game, exercise your scapular muscles to make it more flexible and prevent any injuries.
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Elbow Problems
There is such a condition called a golfer’s elbow. This is pretty much similar to a tennis elbow in terms that they are both elbow inflammation but at different parts. In a golfer’s elbow, one feels the pain on the inside of the upper arm near the elbow whereas a tennis elbow elicits pain on the outside of the upper arm.
Amazingly, a tennis elbow remains to be more common among golfers than an actual golfer’s elbow. Pain is at its highest point during backswings and at impact. Common solutions for this would be rest, medication, therapy, bracing, cortisone injections, and surgery if deemed necessary.
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Tendinitis
The type of tendinitis that is frequently seen in golfers is the DeQuervain’s tendinitis, which is exhibited by swelling, pain, and tenderness at the wrist near the base of the thumb. This is believed to be caused by stress to the tendon due to excessive cocking of the wrist and premature releasing of the hands in backswing.
This can be quite tricky though as the symptoms are pretty much similar to arthritis of the thumb. Seek the help of a doctor as x-ray would likely be requested.
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Knee Pain
Knee pain is common among all athletes and can be due to a number of causes. For golfers, most common reasons are torn meniscus, osteoarthritis, and chondromalacia or kneecap pain. You need to seek the help of a doctor when you feel pain and/or swelling anywhere in the knee, and clicking.
Possible treatments include rest, medication, injection treatments, bracing, physical therapy, and surgery.
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Plantar Fasciitis
This is an inflammation of the plantar fascia which is a fibrous sheath located under the sole of the foot and is attached to the heel bone. This is commonly a result of wrong choice of footwear. Most common sign that you could be suffering from this is heel pain early in the morning.
Ice packs and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are usually suggested to alleviate the pain and reduce swelling. For more severe cases, total rest with splints may be advised.
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Neck Injuries
This is yet another reason why stretching is of utmost importance before proceeding to hit any ball in the green. In golf, your body will be twisted to achieve that perfect swing. Thus, if not properly stretched, there could be neck muscle spasm which is similar to the feeling of having a stiff neck but more painful.
It is also better if you can take breaks and have an exercise program to strengthen and make the neck muscles and upper more flexible.
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Hip Injuries
Despite the fact that the human hip is normally mobile and can withstand great amount of weight and stress, it still is susceptible to injuries while playing golf. Remember how that perfect swing requires pivoting and twisting? Well, that puts a great deal of stress to the gluteal muscles and adductor muscle complex. Thus, strains, sprains, and injuries can happen.
The hip injuries are somewhat similar to a rotator cuff tear though the location is different. In order to prevent this, warming up is imperative and a proper exercise routine.
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Sunburn
Do you ever wonder why caddies bring umbrella? It is because those golfers probably had their share of bothersome sunburn. Given that the skin is the largest organ of the body and a large part of it is exposed to sun during golf, a golfer is at high risk for sunburn and even skin cancer.
Prevention is the key here. Do not forget to apply sunscreen and wear appropriate outfit and yes, bring your umbrellas for all you want for as long as you would not suffer from painful sunburns.
Golf is a low-risk sport especially if we are going to compare it to contact sports like wrestling, football, and the likes. However, this does not mean that a golfer is totally out of the injury zone. Know the common types of golf injuries as we have stated above and may be you can start doing something to prevent them. Try to stay injury-free so you can enjoy the golf game all the time!