Preventing injuries

Recently We have seen an increase in number of golfers coming for treatment from their injuries, as a result that prompted us to prepare an injury awareness document.  Why not call us to see how we can help you with your injury problems

 Golfers: be health conscious to prevent unnecessary injuries

Whilst we all accept Golf doesn’t have the same image as say, rugby or football, who would have thought that the game was responsible for so many injuries?  Golf has a sedentary image, yet from the number of players who have aches and pains, you’d believe they were involved in a contact sport.

The majority of golf injuries can be pinpointed to the golf swing; twisting, muscle tension, excessive tissue tension, stress absorbed from impact, can all take their toll.  Every phase: from the backswing, downswing, impact, follow-through to recovery, can lead to injuries.  Why not consider having your swing analysed? It will improve your game and prevent unnecessary injuries.

Typical injuries are:

• The Neck: tension and strain can be felt in the neck from the rotating action; this can often lead to pain/stiffness in the neck.  Even though the head should remain relatively still during the swing, neck problems in golfers are fairly commonplace.
• The Shoulders: during the swing the shoulders rotate, away from and then face the target, all in very quick succession, the move is an explosive motion, turning the body almost 270 degrees, from its starting point, this results in pretty severe muscle contractions and extensions, similar to a re-coiling spring.  The twisting/torque motion often results in excessive muscular or tissue tension in the shoulders.
• The Elbow:  Inflammation of the tendons (those that allow the elbow to bend and extend) are often a common condition reported by golfers.  Excessive stress from the swing can result in “golfer’s elbow”: tendonitis of the elbow.  Improving your swing technique will prevent recurring strain from impact.  The force of the impact travels up the arm ending at the elbow.  Don’t forget to examine your grip; this too, can result in problems of the tendons and muscles of the elbow.  Elbow injuries are one of the most common golfing complaints reported.  These types of injuries appear to be more prevalent in women golfers than their male counterparts.
• The Wrist: Inflammation of the wrist is also very common, similar to the elbow.  Also reported is nerve injuries of the wrist area (you may feels pins and needles or numbness in that area) from incorrect technique.
• The Hand: there are specific bones at risk, if you have a tendency to hit the ground or other objects instead of the ball. The hamate bone and the navicular bone are at risk of being fractured or chipped.  Also some players are prone to blisters if their grip is over tight.
• The (upper) Spine: The whole of the spine takes the brunt of the pressure from the swing, that’s the vertebrae, the ligaments and the muscles.  The twisting of the torso, rapidly released to allow the club to follow through at high speed, tension from the recoil is absorbed in the spine.  The upper spine will absorb tension from the downswing and impact of the ball (and not the ground, hopefully!).  The majority of injuries to the upper part of the spine, (and can also follow through to the arms and hands) are from the incorrect impact of the ball.
• The Lower Back: An incorrect swing action will also lead to further lower back injuries. Golf swing analysts report that it is incorrect follow-through resulting in lower back injuries, than any other phase of the swing.  Repeated bending down, if carried out incorrectly, will cause lower back pain as well.  These can be further compounded by foot pronation, not only during and the recovery phase of the swing but also when walking.
• The Hamstrings: Golfers need flexibility and suppleness of the hamstrings for the gentler motions involved with putting.  Additionally, the repeated bending movements in the game also require good hamstring strength.
• The Knee: The rotation/twisting in the swing, walking and bending can all take their toll on the knee joints.  Don’t forget if you happen to be carrying some excess weight this will be multiplied in the pressure on the knee joint, in the swing motion.  Pain, sprains and tendonitis are the most common knee complaints reported by golfers.
• The Shin: Pain in the lower leg recurs (albeit infrequently) in golfers, mainly due to the average 6km walking that’s involved in an 18 hole game, (it could be the result of ill-fitting shoes).
• The Feet:  Foot pain is fairly common in golfers; pain in the heels, arch, and forefoot or nerve pain or tendonitis.  Some of these can be the result of ill-fitting shoes, or over or under pronation of the feet, gait etc.  Sports biomechanics can help with gait correction and supplying orthotics as appropriate.

Other Golfing hazards:

• Look out for wayward balls, clubs, golf trolleys and carts and other obstacles on the fairway!
• Falling
• Dehydration
• Insect bites
• Weather conditions (risk of sunburn, thunder storms etc), respect the weather conditions at all times.   

Prevention

Despite the sedate image of the game, golf injuries are quite common; here are some injury prevention thoughts:

• You need to be sufficiently fit to play golf, muscle conditioning and strengthening is a must  
•  You require good swing technique, the better the technique, the less stress on the muscles and joints of the body (and the lower your handicap?)  
• You need to have good posture    
• You need good core muscle strength (abdominals and back; as they act as ‘shock absorbers’ for the body)    
• If you are overweight, lose the excess, remember an extra pound in weight will be magnified, in terms pressure per square inch, on the area taking the impact (i.e. knees or spine etc)
• Improve your flexibility   
• Always stretch adequately before playing    
• Always warm up properly before you play, even if only by some brisk walking on the spot. Don’t forget, your first shot should not be from the first tee; hit a few balls first, to get the muscles moving and ready.    
• Ensure your equipment/ footwear is correctly fitted /adjusted to your needs by a professional.
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• If you do get injured: