5 Common Golf Injuries and Treatments

When you think about team sports, what comes to mind? Football? Soccer? You don't have to participate in contact sports to get hurt.

It is as easy to sustain an injury from any strenuous activity, including golf.

5 Most Common Golf Injuries

1. Back Injuries

Golf is stamina-drive and repetitive. After 18 holes, a player has spent 4 to 5 hours hunched over, lining up shots, and swinging a heavy club. It is no wonder that back pain is the number one sports injury for golfers.

The repeated stress of swinging a golf club causes back tightness, strain, and inflammation. A proper golf technique and strengthening your core will help reduce the chances of an injury.

Remember to stretch just like you would before any other sport.

2. Golfer's Elbow (medial epicondylitis)

Obviously, elbow pain is a common complaint amongst golfers - it even has its own name. Golfer's elbow is a condition that causes soreness and inflammation in forearm tendons and muscles. The pain typically is in the inner elbow.

The pain associated with golfer's elbow ranges from mild to severe. If not treated promptly or properly, it may impact your ability to continue to play golf.

3. Golf Wrist (tenosynovitis or wrist tendonitis)

Long strands of fibrous tissue run throughout your forearm, and they connect in your hand. Golf can cause them to become inflamed, which leads to pain.

The pain is easy to ignore because it presents as a hot sensation in the wrist and forearm and quickly goes away most of the time. However, if you don't get golf wrist treated, it can lead to stiffness, pain, and poor range of motion.

4. Foot and Ankle Injuries (ankle tendonitis or peroneal tendonitis)

Part of a golf swing is that your feet and ankles will land in different positions at the end of it. Proper golf form is always critical to avoiding a sports injury. However, the repeated pressure from your feet and ankles can lead to foot and ankle pain.

Sprains and strains are common injuries for golfers. Also, if you walk an entire 18-hole golf course, the chances of ankle and foot pain increase.

5. Knee Pain

Regardless of if you are a lefty or righty, your outer knee takes the brunt of the stress because it is what stabilizes your hips through a golf swing's rotation. If you're an avid golfer, regular stress can cause ligament tears, leading to inflammation and pain.

Golf is all about repetitive movements, which can make the wear and tear on your knees worse. Over time and with age, it can lead to arthritis.

Chiropractic Treatments for Golfers

Golfing is a lifestyle choice for most people. We want to play 18-rounds as often as we can for as long as possible. Golf has no age limit, but our bodies don't know that. We can perfect the perfect golf form, strength our core, and stretch every day, but our bodies take the wear and tear over time.

Without treatment, golf injuries can get worse and lead to lifetime arthritis. Back pain is especially dangerous without the proper attention.

We do our best to avoid dangerous medication and intrusive surgeries. Chiropractors offer a variety of alternative treatments, including massage therapy, lifestyle advice, physical therapy, and spinal decompression.

A chiropractor will carefully manipulate your bones, vertebrae, and muscles to eliminate pain and prevent future golf injuries. They will treat your pain as it happens and work to manage all of your serious concerns so that you can play golf for as long as your golfer's heart desires.