How to Prevent Golf Injuries

Many consider golf not a sport but just a stroll in the park. Others say it is as much a game of the mind as it is a game of the body. Would-be players don’t have to learn variety of skills to succeed in golf. The effort involved in playing the game is minimal compared to those high-impact sports. However, the injuries that a golfer may suffer can be as severe and disabling as those with high-level physical activities such as basketball and tennis. The common injuries that may arise for golfers are injuries to the elbow, spine or back, knee, hip, wrist and shoulder.

Taking some preventive measures can prevent these injuries. It is necessary to do some exercises and techniques before a golfer make his initial swing at the driving range or at the first tee. Golf pros recommend proper conditioning and flexibility as two essential approaches to prevent injuries and achieve the so-called “absence of aches and pains†of the game. Here are some helpful tips for proper conditioning and improved flexibility that golfers should take into consideration.

Get adequate rest to avoid overuse injuries to the shoulder and elbow. To avoid this, perform the following exercises:

Squeeze a tennis ball for five minutes. Do this repeatedly as desired. This will strengthen the forearm muscles.

With a lightweight dumbbell, lower the weight of the dumbbell to the end your fingers, then pull the weight back into your palm, coil up the wrist and lift the weight an inch or two higher. Perform this 10 times with one arm and then repeat this exercise with the other arm.

Again, with a lightweight dumbbell, place your hands in front with palm side down. By using the wrist, lift the weight up and down. Hold the arm being exercised above the elbow with the other hand to limit the motion to the forearm. Perform this 10 times with one arm and then repeat it with the other arm.

Learn proper techniques to improve body mechanics. Take proper lessons and fundamental skills from a professional trainer to develop proper swing mechanics. Poor swing technique may result to injuries to the lumbar spine. Also, take into consideration the non-swing movements and discover the proper mechanics for proper tee up and retrieval of the ball from the hole.

To prevent injuries to the spine and low back pain, some helpful exercises may be done to strengthen the lower back muscles.

Tie the ends of rubber tubing firmly. Place it around an object that is shoulder height (a door hinge perhaps). Standing with the arms straight in front, grasp the tubing and gently pull it toward the chest and release slowly. Do three sets of this exercise 10 times at least thrice a week.

With the rubber tubing still around the shoulder height object, kneel and hold the tubing over the head. Pull gently toward the chest and bend the elbows as the arms are lowered. Lift the tubing slowly over the head. Do three sets of this exercise 10 times at least thrice a week.

Perform muscular conditioning to develop strength and endurance. Overall conditioning program with emphasis on the back, torso and shoulder muscles will prevent possible injuries. Regular conditioning routine should include push-ups and crunches. Perform the conditioning program three times a week to develop strength, flexibility and endurance. For cardiovascular conditioning to avoid muscle fatigue, walking is the best exercise.

Do some suitable warm ups before practice or play. Make it a habit to perform appropriate warm up techniques for 10-15 minutes before playtime. To warm up, you can do the following exercises:

Walk at moderate pace to get the blood flowing to the muscles.

Do clockwise and counter clockwise neck rolls.

Perform shoulder stretches. To do this, hold the golf club in front with hands at each end. Raise it over your head and hold. Hold the club on the same manner behind your back and pull the shoulders up and hold. Another exercise is to grab each elbow with the opposite hand and pull it across the body.

With hands on the hips, pull the shoulders side to side and hold.

With arms crossed and hands resting on opposite shoulders, rotate the shoulders and hold.

Practice swinging the club easily and slowly. Perform a gentle half swing and full swing repeatedly without hitting any balls.

Relax and envision your swing and drive while waiting to tee off.

Remember that at the first sign of ache or pain in the joints during golf practice or play, rest right away and decrease playtime.