Despite not being a contact sport, it is difficult to walk away from a regular golf schedule without any injuries. Golf is on the lower end of physical intensity for sports, but its injuries can compound and worsen over time due to repetitive motion.
After the repeated stress placed on the spine, tissue, and joints, many golfers turn to chiropractic care to help address active pain points, improve their range of motion, and reduce the overall strain that repetitive swinging can place on the body. By focusing on mobility, posture, and musculoskeletal function, chiropractors can help golfers stay more comfortable on the course and reduce the risk of recurring overuse injuries.
Golfer’s Elbow
Golfer’s elbow, also known as medial epicondylitis, occurs when the tendons inside of the elbow become inflamed from overuse. According to the National Institute of Health, the condition “develops gradually as repetitive wrist flexion and forearm pronation generate microtrauma,” so regular trips to the golf course can easily lead to the condition over time (hence the alias “golfer’s elbow”).
Prevention Techniques
The first step to preventing an overuse injury is moderation. You can also focus on exercises that strengthen the inner elbow and forearm muscles so they become inflamed less easily. Working with professionals to select the right golf clubs and practicing proper form will also help reduce injuries overall.
Wrist Sprains
Prevention Techniques
Because sprains occur when the ligaments are stretched too far to the point where they are damaged or torn, best practices for prevention are warming up, strength training. You will also want to make sure you are practicing proper hand positioning with a relaxed yet firm grip.
Back Pain
Between the forceful compression during a driver swing, the hunching over on the putting green, and the extended periods of standing, your back goes through a lot during golf. If you are one of the millions of Americans already dealing with chronic back pain, golf is only going to exacerbate your symptoms.
Prevention Techniques
Core exercises are a great and unexpected way to reduce back pain during golf (and overall) because a strong abdomen will be able to better support your spine. Stretching and light cardio before playing and enough down time in between golf excursions will also go a long way.
Rotator Cuff Tears
The rotator cuff is “a group of muscles, which come together as tendons to attach the humerus (upper arm bone) to the shoulder blade.” Unsurprisingly, a rotator cuff tear is one of the most common golf injuries.
Prevention Techniques
It may be tempting to swing as hard as you can on the driving range, but overexerting that much power can easily lead to injury. Along with shoulder and lower back strength training, when protecting your rotator cuffs, proper form and control is crucial.
Tendonitis
Unlike the other injuries, tendonitis can afflict any tendon rather than a specific body part. Tendons connect the bone to the muscle, so they play a key role in transferring force during movement.
Prevention Techniques
To prevent tendonitis, try to stay in touch with your body and any potential pain points as those can easily worsen over time. If you have identified a recurring pain spot, that will allow you to find the right warm ups and exercises to keep the tendons and muscles strong and supported while you are using them instead of leaving them vulnerable to injury.
Knee Pain
Prevention Techniques
Preventing knee pain during golf can seem difficult because of how many contributing factors there can be, from walking on an uneven landscape to the swing of the club itself with a fast rotation shifting weight between legs abruptly. Regardless of the source, focusing on stretching and strengthening beforehand combined with focusing on clean form will help eliminate unnecessary pain on the golf course.
How Chiropractic Care Can Help
Tendon & Overuse Injuries
In the case of these injuries, chiropractors can focus on reducing strain in the affected area while also treating contributing regions to reduce the risk of recurrence and support more balanced movement.
For example, with golfer’s elbow, treating the irritated tendons is a short term solution, but improving mobility in the wrist, shoulder, and upper back to help distribute force more evenly during the golf swing will lead to long term performance improvements.
Joint & Ligament Injuries
Similarly to tendon & overuse injuries, improving mobility is a key factor for join & ligament injuries. Ligaments connect bones to each other and keep joints secure, so adjustments to help with realignment and joint motion may help reduce uneven stress placed on the surrounding structures.
Spine & Postural Pain
Finally, back pain, arguably the most common reason patients seek out a chiropractor. Bad posture is practically a prerequisite to working a desk job, and the hobby you’re trying to decompress with is just making it worse. Chiropractors can help by focusing on improving your flexibility, posture, and movement patterns to support your recovery and reduce the likelihood of recurring discomfort during repetitive golf movements.
If you are looking to prevent or treat a golf injury, schedule an appointment to receive a customized care plan today.