@womensgolfcente
Latest posts by Pat (see all)
- Is Golf Too Hard For Today’s Lifestyle? - October 14, 2011
- The Life of a Professional Golf Caddy - August 26, 2011
- Golf Stars and Repetitive Motion Injuries - July 3, 2011
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We have just watched two twenty two year old professional golfers, Rory Mcllroy and Yani Tseng, set records by winning major golf tournaments on their respective tours. Their golf was magnificent. They are long and accurate tee to green and both can putt their balls with dead accuracy. With their smiling personalities the whole world wishes them well and hopes to see them win many more tournaments.
Youth does not equal invincibility!
It appears these youthful golfers are invincible however when one looks at the young golfers that we are now watching become stars it begs the question can their bodies last. They have the talent and the desire to become legends and we hope it will occur. Looking at some of the other golfers on the professional tours it becomes apparent that may be golf is not the benign sport that it sometimes appears to be.
Take time to recover
If a muscle is pushed beyond what it is capable of doing it becomes damaged. Overuse of muscles without giving them time to recover will produce and accumulate toxins and waste products.
If a muscle has a sore spot a trigger point is created and blood flow to it is reduced. When a golfer competes with a muscle that is sore it sets up a situation for full blowout. Tiger Woods is a very good example of this. He has been much lauded for winning the 2008 US Open while playing with a knee injury. However he now faces the possibility that all his golf related injuries might end his career.
- Golfers are subject to injuries such as calf pull, hamstring pull, ilio-tibial band syndrome, low back pain, plantar fasciitis, patellar tendonitis, Achilles tendonitis, and hip pain. As well as knee injuries, hand injuries are common and can require long lay offs. Even something as small as an infected hangnail can prevent golfers from playing at top form. Repetitive motion injuries like Paula Creamer’s sprained ligament in her thumb and Anthony Kim’s detached ligament on his thumb are caused by years of hitting golf balls.
Michelle Wei has suffered wrist injuries, an ankle injury, and back injuries. Suzann Pettersen had surgery on her elbow in 2004 and starting in 2005 she continues to suffer from debilitating back injuries. In 2009 Suzann had a stress fracture in her left leg bone.
To become a high performing golfer takes hours and hours of practice. It requires using the same muscles to hit ball after ball. It demands that the golfer spend hours in the same position repeating the same motion over and over. As this routine goes on day after day the muscles are not given time to recover. The idea that these professional golfers should golf in moderation is not even considered. There is an obsession that just one more swing and one more hit will unlock the magic needed to win. 50% of professional touring pros have had to stop due to injuries.
As we watch these young players thrill us with their length it is necessary to remember that the swing requires a tremendous amount of muscle force. Every muscle and joint must give them lasting strength, flexibility, and coordination.
Complete Conditioning for Golf (Complete Conditioning for Sports Series).
Well said. Golf, just like any other sport, can be hard on the body. Just because it is not a heavy duty contact sport does not mean the needs and requirements of the body needs to be ignored. One needs to listen to the body and understand its needs and not push it beyond its capacity of recovery.
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Thanks for your comments. On today’s PGA tournament coverage there is talk that Rickie Fowler’s back will not stand up unless he changes his swing and does not twist his spine so much.
On the LPGA sites there is talk about an eight year old trying to qualitfy to play in the Women’s U.S. Open. What will her body be lie when she is just 25 years old?
womensgolfcenter recently posted..Golf Clubs for Beginners
Whether we are a sports enthusiasts or not, we really should take extra care of our body. Let us not abuse ourselves and our body so we can stay in shape as long as we live. Whenever we are injured, we really need the time to take a rest so our body can heal naturally so it can go back to its original shape and strength. By the way, I admired all athletes for their dedication in their chosen field because it takes lots of hard work and sacrifices to shine in sports.
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I agree that any repetitive motion, be it your car or your wrist will wear out said moving parts. I do wonder with golf how much of it is just pure mental can repetitive mind motion be the problem?
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Do you think that there’s any correlation between these repetitive motion injuries and the age at which golfers start specializing in golf? So many young kids now concentrate on just one sport from 4 or 5 years of age, rather than try many different sports. I know of an 8 year old gymnast down the street who practices 3 hours every day…and has started to have some repetitive motion injuries.
Are today’s golfers starting to see these types of injuries at an earlier age than previous generations?
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I definitely think there is a correlation between the repetitive motion injuries and the age golfers start to seriously play golf. Part of this is that when they get that serious they stop doing other activities and the same muscles are used over and over again. It is the lack of time resting the muscle between use that contributes to these injuries.
Pat recently posted..The Women’s US OPEN and A New Super Star
Tennis Elbow is another common sports injury that can happen to players young and old. I think the injury-discussion could go both ways. Younger players play for more years than athletes who start later in live, and are therefore prone to more years of potential injuries. But younger athletes can generally bounce back from their injuries faster than older athletes. I think often the level of competition determines the amount of stress an athlete is willing to put on his or her body.
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Brian;
I think your point is well taken. Tennis Elbow is very common with golfers. When we are young we have a habit of thinking that we are invincible and less likely to look after our injuries. When we are older and may be not playing at such a high level we can take a rest and recoup from our injuries
Pat recently posted..Golf Clubs for Beginners
Hey Pat!!
I really admire and appreciate your profound and firm research on “Injuries due to Golf”…I acknowledge and believe that we should not push our bodies beyond its limit of taking stress,because it can cause really some very serious and long-lasting negative effects.It’s better to pay attention before it gets more worse.Thank you for sharing such an informative content with us.
Thank You and God Bless!!
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Hey Pat,
I’m not really into competitive sports but I do run a lot and one thing I notice is that my knees hurt if I run long distances without warm up or if I run for long hours without rests in between days. I’m afraid I might have runners knees. I might not have conditions like tennis elbow but I do believe repetitive stress on any joints, muscles can accelerate wear and tear. If you don’t take enough rest for your body to recuperate the risks of getting future injuries is much higher.
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its a good & knowledgeable article…i got full knowledge about golf sports ..
does golfers weight train??
Timothy Smith recently posted..DoUpTo- The Fastest Way to Make Money Using Your Talent updated Tue Jul 26 2011 1:56 am CDT
Most of today’s professional golfers all have very strict fitness routines that include weight training.
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I think your point is well taken.. I might not have conditions like tennis elbow but I do believe repetitive stress on any joints, muscles can accelerate wear and tear.Thank you for sharing such an informative content with us.
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This is more of an inspirational article. I love the fact the players will keep playing, besides the fact that they do get injured often! That’s really motivating and encouraging. Thanks for this article Pat.
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You are right, most people do not think that the sport stars we constantly see on TV have issues that are holding them back like repetitive motion pain. We see them on TV and figure that they are always in top form. I like your statement about how a hangnail could cause them to play a bit off of top form because it is so true. I have been a competitive tennis player my whole life, and have had multiple injuries over the years that I thought would put an end to being able to play again. Learned working around an injury is sometimes the only option, so I am sure that the superstars all have their issues to deal with daily as well. Thanks for taking time to share your thoughts with us.
David Evans recently posted..Exercises for Tennis Elbow Prevention & Rehabilitation
The first time I played golf I woke up the next day with a horrible pain in my back. I had reduced mobility and couldn’t even lift a few kilograms without horrible pain. Googling a few stretches to do to release the tension really helped the problem and ever since the first time I haven’t had any trouble since.
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Most people don’t take time away from the sport they love because they think they are invincible. If you participate in a sport that involves repetitive movements and actions, such as golf, you need to really listen to your body and take a break when something doesn’t feel right.
When it comes to golf, there is no such thing as “no pain, no gain”. Listen to your body and you’ll spend more time on the golf course instead of waiting in the clubhouse for your friends to finish.
Hi Pat,
Some people believe that golf is not a stressful sport, when the reality is, that golf puts stress on many parts of our bodies. The repetitive motion of the golf swing can reek havoc on your body. All too often we see professional golfers struggling with back injuries or wrist injuries.
That constant weekly grind takes its toll. This was a very good article. Thanks for sharing.
David
Twitter: SmartGolfGear
says:
I wish, I would have been a golfer too. But, blogging has become my forte offlate. On the funny side, it’s good in way that it keeps me away from injuries.
On a serious note, I do agree, golf has become physically exhaustive, in the recent past.