Probably one of the most well known injuries that affects golfers is ‘golfers elbow’. This condition is an overload of the structures on the inside of the elbow usually of the bottom hand during the golf swing. There can be a lot of contributing factors to this injury and it can last for a considerable amount of time if it is not managed appropriately.
We now know that completely resting elbow injuries like these does not remedy the injury and instead you should see a Physiotherapist with expertise in this area who can produce a specific strengthening program. It is also important that your swing technique and golf equipment is considered so it can be altered were needed to make sure the injury doesn’t return. Thick club grips or the wrong shaft length can make this injury worse or make it more likely to come back.
The golf swing is a complex whole body movement and it is important that other joints in your body such as your knees, thoracic spine and shoulders are assessed as restrictions in those can cause overloads elsewhere and may predispose other areas to injuries. A common example is a stiff left hip for right hand golfers.
Other common golf injuries include meniscal tears in the knee and shoulder impingement syndromes. Most golf injuries do not require complete rest and an early assessment by a physiotherapist who has experience working with golfers is important to keep you on the course!
Powerhouse Physiotherapy is a team of highly qualified sports physiotherapists and soft tissue therapists with experience working across a variety of sports. Currently Powerhouse provides physiotherapy to all ACT Academy of Sport athletes as well as various sports teams around the ACT. Our Physiotherapists have previously developed training and injury prevention programs for golfers playing on the European Professional Tour.