Let's get one thing straight: Golf shouldn’t hurt.
But, people do get hurt playing golf (or doing yardwork, and then it affects their driver anyway)...
Golf is a sport where you do the same thing over and over, in one direction, with a lot of force.That’s basically asking for an injury if you’re not ready for it… but we do it anyway, because we love it.
And that’s why some estimates show that up to 40% of golfers will have an injury each year, that will keep them out of the game for about 6 weeks on average.
Today let’s get some awareness of the things that typically sneak up on golfers:
Specific swing flaws
Let’s be clear: There is no singular swing required to play healthy and effective golf, but there are some common threads found in golfers who find themselves in pain.
It takes a lot of coordination by your whole body to deliver the club to the ball, but most of the time those stressors manifest themselves as lower back pain - especially on your trail side. For right-handed golfers, that’s the right side of your back. Here are a couple of the most common swing flaws that cause people back pain:
Hanging Back
If you never get your weight forward onto your front leg, you’ll end up compressing your trail side more than usual and can have some pain. You’re also giving away all your power!
Reverse Spine Angle
When people look for more distance, they often try to get a longer backswing… but it doesn’t always come from the right places (generally speaking, your hips and upper back). If you try to get that motion from your low back, the trail side often ends up hurting because you have to move really far, really fast, in order to get into a good position.
S-Posture
This posture usually means your abdominal muscles aren’t very active in the set-up, and will make you pretty likely to deviate into hanging back or a reverse spine angle.
If you’ve got one of those swing issues and you feel like it’s because of your flexibility, some targeted stretching to your hips and upper back could do the trick. If you’ve got all the pieces physically, you’ll be best served to call your local teaching professional and ask for some lessons.
Lack of flexibility or strength
Some golfers claim to get a lot of exercise on the course from carrying their bags. Others… well, those 12 ounces don’t curl themselves.
Walking is great exercise too, but walking alone isn’t going to help you continue to play healthy and successful golf. You’re going to need a baseline of flexibility and strength to be sure you can even do all the movements your golf swing demands.
Lack of mobility in some key areas - most notably the ankles, hips, and upper back - can really prevent you from moving well, and make you more likely to produce one of those swing flaws we talked about above.
Strength is going to help prevent overuse injuries like muscle strains, tendinitis (tennis or golfer’s elbow), and make sure you have the gas to supply all that speed you’re looking for. It’s also going to make you more stable so you’re less likely to move into a bad swing position!
(Extra nugget for you here: If you’re having pain on the INSIDE of the TRAIL elbow, that’s probably Golfer’s Elbow. Have you been hitting more off a mat, or hitting more shots fat recently? If so, cut that out and it should help it clear up!)
Too much, too soon (or other new activities!)
As of writing this, it’s springtime in Texas. So the weather’s warming up, the ball is (hopefully) flying a bit farther, and you’re probably playing a lot more golf.If you ramp up way too fast with how often you’re hitting the driving range or the course, that can pretty easily flare something up.Not to mention, you probably just broke out the lawnmower, weedeater, edger, hedge trimmer… It’s a forearm’s worse nightmare!
So make sure you warm up properly, don’t go having marathon range sessions (they’re not effective anyway), and play some good golf!
If you need ideas on how to practice effectively, here are a couple options to learn more:
Here’s a video from the Titleist Performance Institute about random vs. blocked practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTp4jAWDiCI
Four Foundations of Golf also has some practice strategies in it, and it’s one of my absolute favorite books for game improvement.
MyPhysio can help
Dr. Jared Cave, PT, DPT is TPI-Certified as a Medical Level 2 and Fitness Level 2 provider to help you recover from injuries and perform your best.
If your golf game is making you hurt, let’s find time to talk and get you set up for a successful year of golf!
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