How To Reduce The Risk Of Golf Injuries
As the golf season starts to wind down, we have been seeing loads of keen golfers in the clinic who are now struggling with some niggles, aches and pains after being out on the course all summer. It is a common misconception that golf is an “easy” sport on the body. This couldn’t be further from the truth. We see everything from lower back injuries, wrist injuries, knee injuries, ankle injuries, and even neck pain at our Physio clinic in Stewarton. As a golfer, it’s easy to get caught up in the magic of the sport and push through these aches and pains so that you don’t miss out on valuable course time during the summer. However, what if we told you that there are ways to reduce your risk of injury and stay on the course for longer? You’ll know from our previous blogs that trying to reduce the risk of injury often comes down to a few simple strategies. See our top 3 strategies for golfers below:
Manage time spent on the course and practice sessions - this one may seem obvious, but time and time again we see people who go from playing once a week in the winter to playing 3-4 times per week, along with practice sessions at the range, usually within the space of a few weeks. This is a recipe for disaster, and a sure fire way to find yourself in the Physio room.
Strength Training - one of the most effective ways to reduce your injury risk is to use strength training as a strategy to increase tissue tolerance and capacity. By performing strength training 1-2x per week, you can build capacity in all the tissues required to play golf. Strength training will also help strengthen your core and improve your mobility. As well as reducing injury risk, you'‘ll also hit the ball further than all your friends!
Warm up before rounds - we all do it. Park up in the club carpark, pop our golf shoes on, bag on the trolley, onto the tee, pull the driver out the bag and try to rip one down the middle of the fair way. Going from sitting the car to performing a fast and powerful swing is one way to give yourself a lower back spasm or the like. Spend 5-10 minutes when you get to the course working on mobility and short practice swings to get your body ready for the round.
Need help with a golf injury? Call 01563262123 or email info@aristosphysiotherapy.co.uk.