Amateur Golfers – Limited by Physique

The most common golf injuries occur in the lower back, elbows, shoulders, hands and wrists. This article looks at mainly preventing back pain. 

Causes of Golf injuries

·                                 Overuse

·                                 Miss-hits or duffs (hitting the ground during the swing)

·                                 Poor swing mechanics

·                                 Over-swinging

·                                 Skipping the Warm-up

·                                 Twisting the Spine During the Swing

·                                 Incorrect Grip

Prevention of Golf injuries depends upon:

·                                 Proper swing mechanics

·                                 Proper conditioning

·                                 Proper equipment

Four Phases of a Golf Swing

1.                              Backswing

2.                              Downswing

3.                              Ball strike

4.                              Follow-through

During the typical golf swing, the lumbar spine undergoes a variety of forces including compression and rotation.

Often amateur golfers will get their tips from a book or the internet or even a golf expert, then go down to the driving range to work on these new skills.  

How do you know if you are doing the drill correctly?

Is your body physically able to perform the new positions the drill demands? 

Professional golfers are like all other elite athletes they spend time working in the gym and have sports massage treatments to improve their game without injury. 

Amateurs tend to work at a desk all day which can weaken your frame and yet, still expect to swing like tiger woods. At work a typical posture held is shoulders slumped forwards, putting scapula muscles on a stretch weakening them. Any twisting movements will come from the shoulder blades instead of the thoracic spine, a common error among amateur golfers. 

Golf places heavy demands on the hip joint and thoracic spine. No matter what level you are it is important to protect yourself from injury. Many golfers enjoy their two games a week but when injury occurs had to stop. You should get your technique analysed by a golf professional to study your movement errors that may cause injury if injury is not already present. This will help improve your game which is what all golfers want.  

The next step is to see if you are physically capable of the new drills given to you to improve your swing. A sports therapist can help by setting sport-specific exercises and manipulation where appropriate. Golf is a repetitive sport in which muscles can be overused; a sports therapist can relax these muscles and help return the muscle to a relaxed state. 

“The best way to avoid an injury is to prevent them with proper conditioning and swing mechanics. “ 

Exercise is important to everyone why not make it sport specific? 

There are four main movement control issues for the swing in golf

Good postural set-up

Gluteal muscles need adequate length with good strength

Good thoracic spine rotation

Practice of overall conditioning 

Here are some golf specific exercises that may help 

Postural set-up

Learning to bend at the hip joint recruiting the Gluteal muscles rather than the spine, a simple 45 degree squat can achieve this, to help place your golf club down your back giving you sensory feedback of how straight yours stays. This is also good for Gluteal strength 

Gluteal strength

Single leg rotations, holding your club in front with both hands, adopt the stance for addressing the ball. Next transfer your weight onto one side, rotate over the leg supporting you (if right leg turn to the right). Keep your shoulders level and turn using the chest (thoracic spine).  

Thoracic rotation

Hold the club in front and turn using your chest not your shoulders. You should feel a stretch in your Obliques.

Hold a club across the chest and gently pull in your lower abdominals, think about wearing a belt on your lower stomache, pull in to show a gap between the belt and you. Keep you’re breathing normal do not use your rib cage. Keep the pelvis still and without turning the head rotate through the waist as far as possible to the right hold for a few seconds and repeat to other side.  

Overall condition

This is a fun exercise to try and is great for co-ordination and develops a strong wind-up. Stand in the address position with a ball squeezed between your legs above knee height, and a ball squeezed between your forearms. Holding an exercise band, turn through the thoracic spine against the resistance. 

The next few exercises are good for basic conditioning

Bridge

Wood chop

Hip hitcher

One leg squats

Hip flexor stretch

Hamstring stretch

ITB stretch

Adductor stretch 

So if you want less pain, more distance on your shots and a lower handicap don’t just look at your technique look at improving your physique to cope with the stresses.

A sport therapist with the knowledge of the physical demands of the golf swing can not only improve the aches and pain but help you to become a better player by treating soft tissue imbalances and exercise prescription.