Golf Injury Prevention

Golf is not usually thought of as a strenuous or physically demanding sport, especially compared with other sporting activities like soccer, football, or basketball. It does, however, require a coordinated movement of coordinated muscles. ^[20] The lack of coordination in one’s bodily movement may easily cause a tear or strain in the golfer’s tendon or ligament.

Golf injuries may be due to either improper technique, golfing equipment, conditioning, or a combination of any of these elements.

The common causes of golf injuries include the following: ^[21]

• Overuse – caused by hours of practice

• Mishits or duffs – hitting the ground during a swing

• Poor swing mechanics

• Over swinging

• Not doing warm-up exercises

• Wrong grip

The body’s soft tissues and upper body joints are the most vulnerable parts of a golfer’s body which are prone to injury. Soft tissues would comprise of the muscles, ligaments, and tendons; while the latter include the back, elbows, wrists, and shoulders. All golfers are prone to injuries, although not necessarily resulting from the same causes. Professional golfers would more likely have overuse injuries due to long hours of practice. Injuries of amateur golfers, on the other hand, are likely the result of the lack of proper conditioning.

Common golf injuries^[22]

• Back pain – this may be a result of the great stress that is placed on a golfer’s back during a swing

• Tennis elbow and golf elbow – both problems occur in the area in the upper arm near the elbow, but a tennis elbow occurs on the inside of the upper arm while a golf elbow is soreness on the outside.

• Shoulder pain

• Carpal tunnel syndrome – this medical condition is a stress disorder that involves the hands’ nerves

• DeQuervain’s Tendinitis – this syndrome causes pain in the wrist, near the thumb’s base, and is caused by an inflammation of the tendon that controls the thumb

• Knee pain

• Trigger finger – results from the inhibition of the flexor tendon sheath and causes fingers to lock up

• Wrist impaction syndrome – this happens when the wrist’s bones hit each other as a result of repetitive movements

• ECU Tendon Subluxation – the snapping ECU syndrome is a result of the ECU wrist tendon dislocating or sliding in and out of its groove ^[23]

• Hamate bone fracture – can be identified through numbness in the ring and pinky fingers ^[24]

Preventing golf injuries

Like other sporting activities, proper warm-up exercises aid in the prevention of injuries. To avoid injuries resulting from muscle overuse, a significant amount of rest is important, especially for professional golfers. Getting assessment from a golfing coach and taking some lessons would also greatly lessen the chances of an individual in encountering an injury. The following are general preventive guidelines that may be applied in order to lessen the threat of a golfing injury: ^[25]

• Back pains may be prevented by rotating the shoulder and hips by the same amount during a golf swing. It is also important to keep the spine vertical during the follow-through

• Shoulder injuries may be prevented with proper swing techniques which include: (1) shortening the backswing, (2) strengthening of shoulder muscles, (3) strengthening of chest and back muscles, and (4) improvement of swing techniques.

• Preventing hand, wrist, and elbow injuries can be as simple as using proper golfing equipment. This may include selecting larger grips, using softer or neutral grips, using a club of appropriate length, and selecting irons with large heads and graphite shafts to reduce the vibration. It would also help to take part in exercises that strengthen the forearm muscles. ^[26]