Golf

Golf can be a sport for all ages of life. It can be as recreational or as competitive as you choose. You can take an hour to go to the driving range, or you can play 18 holes while enjoying the company of others.

Golf is both a physical sport and a repetitive motion sport. The combination can, and often does, lead to overuse injuries. Injuries can happen by trying to force a swing instead of having all four phases of your swing (backswing, downswing, ball strike, and follow-through) be smoothly played. Work regularly with a good Golf Pro to continue to improve and to avoid developing poor golfing habits.

Your Pro can also help you have both a proper posture and a proper grip where the forces of your swing are correctly distributed through your body. You do not want the force to have to be absorbed primarily in your wrists and elbows or back.

Be certain you are using clubs which are the correct length for your height. Clubs which are too short or too long put the entire body in an incorrect position, eventually leading to overuse injuries.

While it is not in immediate consideration when thinking about golf, being in good, overall physical condition is important. The potential for most golfing injuries tends to increase as the body begins to grow older, muscles tend to weaken, and the back and joints start to lose flexibility. A well designed, year-round exercise routine, done 3 to 4 days a week, should include core body conditioning, core flexibility training, and a 30-minute walk or bike ride.

By its very nature, golf puts a lot of stress and rotation on the back. As a person ages, the discs of the back will loose some of their ability to absorb shock. The spine can start to become arthritic, and the spine can become osteoporotic, especially for women. Maintaining good core body conditioning is extremely important. If the abdominal and back muscles are strong, they can take a lot of stress off of the spine.

Shoulder pain can be a symptom of a variety of potential problems, some more serious than others. They include shoulder bursitis, tendonitis, shoulder impingement syndrome, shoulder instability, shoulder separation, arthritis, and rotator cuff tears. Pain which does not go away or which occurs each time you play golf should be checked by your orthopedic surgeon to be sure you aren't doing damage to some aspect of your shoulder. The solution could be as simple as anti-inflammatories and a couple of retraining sessions with your Pro. You also might benefit from shoulder strengthening exercises. It is possible, however, to be developing an injury which might require surgery to repair if ignored too long.

Golfer's elbow, tennis elbow, and bursitis of the elbow can cause attention-getting pain for golfers. Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) and golfer¹s elbow (medial epicondylitis) are both forms of vague elbow pain, without any history of trauma or injury. If your elbow is straight, and your palm is facing upward, you have golfer's elbow if the pain is on the side of the little finger. And if the pain is on the thumb side, you have tennis elbow. The bursa is a small sac of synovial fluid which acts as a lubricant for the elbow joint. Repetitive motions can irritate the bursa, causing it to become inflamed and painful.

Elbow problems are more likely to occur as you age. All three of these injuries take a long time to heal, but fortunately they usually do respond to conservative care. To strengthen the forearm muscles related to the elbow, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons suggests squeezing a tennis ball and doing some very light weight curls as part of your regular exercise program. All three elbow injuries also might be due to putting too much force across your elbow in your swing. If so, work with your pro.

Wrist, hand, and finger injuries are all other types of golfing injuries which can be due to improper technique and inadequate conditioning. Among these are the fracture of the hamate bone on the little finger side of the wrist, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis in the wrist affecting the thumb, and trigger finger (which is a painful catching of the tendons that flex the fingers down to the palm).

Before starting a round of golf or spending time on the driving range, take a few minutes to warm up. Start with a short walk of about 10 minutes. Then work on limbering up by through the swinging motions (without balls) first with your putter, then with your irons, and finally with your driver.

Owning a really nice set of clubs is appealing, and working with a good golf pro on a reasonably regular basis is important. But neither can substitute for an appropriate, year-round personal conditioning program in helping to manage the risk of injury.

               — Tom Parr, M.D.

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For emergencies after hours, call 281-491-7111 or 713-954-1343 or go to either Foundation Surgical Hospital or St. Luke's Sugar Land Hospital and ask them to call Dr. Parr. Non-Medicare patients can also go to St. Michael's ER.