Be Golf: Your Answer to Golf Related Injuries

Did you know that 50% of avid golfers will experience some type of chronic injury over their life? The golf swing is a dominant one-sided motion with high repetition, and how frequently you practice, as well as the way you practice, can influence your likelihood for an overuse injury, leaving you in a bind and unable to participate in the much awaited Chicago golf season. Getting your body working in an efficient way is your best bet to avoid injury.
Golf injuries are not limited to amateur golfers. 50% of tour players have an injury that knocks them out for at least 3 weeks per year, and 10-30% of tour players play injured every week. On the flip side, injuries don’t always occur on the golf course, but instead most people bring their injuries to the golf course.
Golf sometimes holds the stereotype as a retirement sport because people inaccurately assume that golf is less stressful for their body than contact sports, but incidence of injury during golf actually increases with age and the amount of torque you create during a golf swing is huge. Injuries pertaining to poor posture, poor mobility, and strength deficits are highly prevalent and usually the main culprit because you have no way to control this torque. Working with a golf professional, as well as a movement specialist, can help prevent any setbacks and improve your likelihood of hitting the ball further more consistently. That’s what most of us want anyways, right?
Tiger Woods helped bring golf fitness to the limelight many years ago, and this realm has continued to develop ever since. But even Tiger Woods has his limitations and acts as a perfect example of how skill can easily be dwarfed by dysfunction throughout the body. He has missed 3 out of the last 4 Master’s tournaments because of injuries, the most recent withdrawal from the 2017 Master’s Tournament being cited as lower back spasms. Golf Channel reported:
Woods explained that his back injury in 2015 stemmed from enduring multiple fog delays before the start of his round, and that he was unable to keep his glutes ‘activated.’

My glutes are just shutting off. Then they don’t activate and then, hence, it goes into my lower back.

He could not be more correct, but unfortunately this was not the only instance in which he has been injured over the years. Prior to this comment Woods had underwent numerous surgeries on his knee, the first out of three on his low back, and also sustained injuries to his elbow and neck.
The truth is that pain can stem from something as simple as poor posture during your typical daily activities, you don’t always need a traumatic injury to cause pain. As we say at React, “the positions you put your body in dictates your posture, and your posture dictates how you function.” Poor or prolonged postures tend to shut down large muscle groups that we need to use to function and perform efficiently. These imbalances lead to injuries, which is exactly what Tiger was describing.
Next time you think about hitting the driving range or plan to go play a round of golf, pay attention to your body and see if you feel any discomfort, decreased strength, or limitations in motion. Addressing these limitations with our BE Golf program before they become a real issue will keep you playing longer and stronger.

Check out more information about our Golf program at React Physical Therapy by visiting our website, calling 312-243-9350.  You may also learn more about how to treat your golf related injuries here: Golf Related Blog Posts