Most common golf injuries
Golf appears to be a very calm sport. There is no running or tackling like football. Neither is there dribbling or stealing like basketball. Men and women carrying sticks in their hands, walking on grass and hitting balls doesn’t seem like it can do much
damage. One would be surprised as how many different sorts of injuries are linked to golfers and golf.
Back Pain
One common complaint by golfers is back pain. As simple as it looks, the golf swing can cause a lot of strain on the player’s back. Due to this, it is not a surprising revelation that back pain is quite frequent in golfers. This can be due to the hunched-over
putting position that many golfers get in before hitting a long shot. The pain might be disc-related or mechanical, caused by a stress fracture or disc-related.
Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain is also one commonly experienced injury in golfers. It is a problem for both amateur and professional golfers and accounts for 8-12% for all golf injuries. It usually results from overuse due to a long time spent practicing and playing. The
pain could result from a tear or impingement in the rotator cuff, unsteadiness in the joint, A-C joint arthritis or rotator cuff tendinitis.
Knee pain
Even though the golfers don’t really run or jog during the game, they still do experience knee pain. This is a frequent golf injury as well. There are many causes of knee pain and some of the major ones include knee arthritis, kneecap pain or a torn meniscus.
Golfer’s Elbow
Golfer’s elbow is basically pain, soreness and swelling on the inside of the upper arm near the elbow. There is also a condition known as a Tennis elbow, which is pain on the outside of the upper arm. Ironically, Tennis elbow is more frequent among golfers
than golfers Elbow. This condition usually results when during the process of swinging, the tendon is stressed.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
This is more of a disorder that results from continued stress and affects the nerves of hands. In the extreme cases, this disorder results in a lot of pain which is sometimes unbearable. Most of the hand injuries in golfers occur in the left hand. Normally,
poor wrist control during the swing can cause a lot of movement to take place and thus lead to injury.
DeQuervain's Tendinitis
This injury causes pain in the wrist near where the thumb ends. The causes usually include inflammation in the tendons that operate the thumb. This usually results from a tight grip of the club and continuous deviation during the golf swing.
Trigger Finger
This injury can lead to finger or fingers locking up. The causes of trigger finger are when the flexor tendon sheath, through which the finger tendons go, is repressed. In golfers, it occurs because of repetitive motion of the golf swing or if the player
is holding the club in an improper way. It usually bends the fingers or thumb in a flexed or bent position.
Fracture of Hamate Bone
As the name suggests it, it is a fracture. This bone is on the pinky side of the wrist. The Hamate bone has a small prominence called the hook that fits into the palm. This can be a common injury since most of the golfers grip their clubs at the butt-end
of the club and right up against the hook of the bone during the swing.
ECU Tendon Subluxation
This injury occurs when the sheath gripping the wrist tendon starts to slip in and out of its groove.
Wrist Impaction Syndrome
This is also an injury linked to the wrist and result when the bones of the wrist rub against one another. The constant banging of the bones due to excess or continuous movements thus results in pain and injury.
Currently, two famous names in professional golf are injured. Lee Westwood whose calf muscle flared up during the French open is on rest again when his injury recurred during the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Louis Oosthuizen also injured himself when
he stepped in a pothole and damaged his ankle ligaments. Any slight injury to the pros means plenty of rest for them until they get back into healthy form to play.
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