The Most Common Golfing Injuries... And How To Play Through Them

Golfer’s elbow

More golfers suffer in fact from tennis elbow than golfer’s elbow, although both can affect how your right elbow works in the golf swing. Both are forms of tendonitis, but tennis elbow, lateral epicondylitis, is an irritation and inflammation of the outer tendon; golfer’s elbow or medial epicondylitis, of the inner tendon.

Symptoms usually develop gradually as an uncomfortable niggle with the pain increasing when attempting to grip things.

These are repetitive strain injuries, which can be caused by overusing muscles in the forearm and repetitive flexing, gripping, or swinging can cause pulls or tiny tears in the tendons.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that long sessions involving repeated impacts on driving range mats can be a trigger. So when practising, rotate your drills and do not overdo any particular exercise.

If you get golfer's elbow, you can employ the RICE treatment method:

• Rest: Avoid using your elbow as much as possible while it heals.
• Ice: Apply a cold compress, ice pack, or just a bag of frozen peas or equivalent to your elbow for about quarter of an hour a few times a day.
• Compression: Wrap a compression bandage around your elbow.
• Elevation: Keep your elbow above the level of your heart as much as possible.

To prevent golfer’s elbow, stretch and strengthen the muscles. A simple way to strengthen the muscles is to squeeze a tennis or squash ball, or something similar.

Stretching before any activity is always recommended (see these ten best golf stretch exercises) In this case, a simple stretch is to put you hand out fully extended, palm away from you, fingers pointing upwards, as if signalling to stop traffic.

Then, with the other hand, pull your fingers back and hold this position for 30 seconds, and repeat three times. For tennis elbow, point the hand downwards and then with you other hand curl the fingers under the wrist.

Back

The rotation involved in a golf swing puts a lot of strain on the back and playing a lot of golf may induce some stiffness or soreness. This is natural, and need not necessarily be something to worry about. Again, exercises to stretch and strengthen the back may help. A simple back exercise before a round is called the Scarecrow.

You place a club across your back just below the shoulder blades and hook it in place by placing the shaft on the crook of your elbows, and then rotate your upper torso through 90 degrees in both directions.

Another simple exercise is to touch your toes. This will not only loosen tight back muscles but also the hamstrings.

Some tightness and soreness in the back is normally okay; but sharp pains or stinging sensations are not. If these occur see a medic. These types of pains are often associated with nerve injuries or spinal issues and playing through this pain will only make them worse.

Also try these lower back exercises for golf.

Knee

Stretch your hamstrings before you play as having flexible hamstrings reduces the force through your knees, and also on your lower back. If one of your knees is weak, wear a knee sleeve or support to help prevent tears and sprains.

Shoulders

If the mid back is not particularly mobile this can put too much strain on the shoulders during the swing. So exercises to increase the range of motion in your back can relieve some of the strain on the shoulders.

As with those other parts of the body already mentioned, exercises designed to loosened and strengthen will help. A way to loosen your shoulders before teeing off is to do some shoulder flosses.

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a golf club out in front of you by holding each end of it, and then raise the club above your head and as far back as you can and carry out a flossing action. Repeat a few times.

Before every round, it's also worth doing some of all of these 10 power-boosting moves.

Disclaimer: this article purely offers some information. If you are at all concerned by any injury or pain, consult a qualified medic.