Golf is Painful, and Not Just to Watch
Alright, while it might bore me (and others) to sleep while watching it (but I am not a good judge, cause I don’t like watching any sports), golf as we know it has become a huge sport. It’s also one of the biggest sports that many like to say isn’t a “real” sport.
Why?
Because people think it’s a bunch of overly serious people trying to hit little balls into holes (and they don’t even walk to retrieve their balls; they drive!). Seems like anyone can do that with minimal effort, right?
WRONG.
I learned just how wrong I've been all these years after meeting Kevin Hutto, a semi-pro golfer who lives for the sport. He was contemplating back surgery so he could continue playing his true passion. During this time, he became a client of mine, and gave me all the deets on what REALLY goes into being a golfer.
But back to what I was saying.
Sure, there’s physical exertion, skill, and coordination that go into it, but golfing also causes some serious injuries. Yes, you can actually hurt yourself when playing golf. And hurt yourself BADLY. Tiger Woods had to endure THREE bad surgeries before he was able to play golf again.
The most common areas I’ve seen people getting hurt from swinging their club around are:
Shoulder
Wrist
Elbow
Ankle
Lower back
In my line of work, I feel like I’ve seen it all: muscle tears, ligament and tendon strains, broken bones, and so much more.
With the shoulders, the most common injury is a rotator cuff tear. With the repetitive swinging, different club weights, and power level behind each swing, this is pretty easy to do if a golfer isn’t taking care of themselves between rounds because it’s not a sport right? Ugh, so wrong!
For the wrist, the dominant hand will see the injury more often than not. Just like the shoulder, it’s in continuous rotation and that can wear it down.
But with my golfers, the one thing that shocks me more than anything is that they tend to get more tennis elbow than golf elbow. Now that right there is funny irony!
Just like the ball and socket joints, the twisting and turning can also cause damage to a golfer’s lower back. It’s really easy to throw your back out if those muscles are not both property strengthened and rested. (Google Tiger Woods back injuries! I swear it’s all true!)
It seems like today everyone is more concerned about strengthening their muscles than they are about relaxing them.
Both are important, but giving your muscles the time they need to relax actually helps them move correctly. It’s great if your muscles are strong, but if it’s moving in the wrong direction, it’s going to end up hurting more than your game in the long run.
The focus on strengthening the muscles that may be prone to injury or are more susceptible to it goes along with the idea that bigger is better. And while that may be true in some cases, all muscles need the proper care (ahem: acupuncture, massage, and fascia work) to reduce the risk of injuries, tears, and strains.
So what are you supposed to do if you’re a golfer and love to work out as well?
That’s an easy answer: give your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and everything else you have in your body, the rest they deserve and come see me for a session!
Your gold swing will improve, that I can assure you!