By: Matthew Hick
If you enjoy playing lots of golf, chances are that in your lifetime you will have the unfortunate instance of having a golf injury. This article was written with the intent of helping you avoid such an injury, as well as to assist you with the correct information of how to handle what happens when you do get hurt.
Let’s start out with the basics. Typically, golf injuries tend to happen in your lower back, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and hands. After all, these are the joint and muscle groups that you use the most when playing the sport. In sports, there are two types of injuries that can happen: cumulative and acute. Cumulative injuries are injuries that you get when you play too much of a sport like golf. Over time, repetitive motions end up hurting your joints and muscles. Then, if you don’t take care of yourself, you one day find yourself with an injury and unable to play at all. On the other hand, an acute injury is a more sudden injury. Perhaps you swing at the ball and your shoulder pops out of place, or your back is thrown out.
There are certain things you can do to avoid both cumulative and acute golf injuries. To avoid cumulative injuries, it is important that you stretch out before even stepping out on the green. Make sure that you relax and loosen up all of your muscles and joints. Take at least ten minutes before your golf game to do some basic, easy stretching exercises. It is even a good idea to stretch out after your golf game as well. This will ensure that your muscles and joints have a chance to relax again. Stretching a second time will also help to prevent you from becoming sore in certain areas in the days to come.
If you find yourself having a tiny bit of pain in a certain area, but it is not bad enough to stop you from playing, realize that you may have the beginnings of a cumulative injury. It is highly important that you do not ever ignore joint pain or tenderness, any type of swelling, numbness, or a reduced range of motion. If any of these things occur – even in small amounts – it is vital that you see a doctor. Ignoring the situation and continuing to play golf will make a small injury into a large one.
If you get an acute injury while playing golf, you must seek immediate attention as well. First, stop what you are doing right away, and then wrap your injured area in a bandage that is tight enough to induce pressure. If necessary, put a bag of crushed ice (or a cold compress) on the injury for no more than fifteen minutes at a time, making sure the area has a chance to warm up before you freeze it again. Finally, get yourself to a doctor who can better help your injury to heal.
Both cumulative and acute injuries can be extremely painful. And, they can put an end to your golf game if you don’t allow them time to heal properly. So take some time off if you have a golf injury… you will be all the better rested and ready to get out again soon!
