NEPA Vital Signs - Summer Fall 2018 - 23

SUMMER/ FALL 2018

THE MOST COMMON LOW BACK
INJURIES IN GOLF ARE:

* Lumbar Muscle Strain: associated with
a rough or forceful swing that occurs
when a golfer "pushes" a swing or a
quick change in body position during
the downswing; or if poorly conditioned;
or when a golfer stands on uneven edge
(edge of water hazard or sand trap)
* Herniated Disc: pre-existing herniations
may be aggravated by abnormalities in
golf swing - shearing hip with rotation during swing
After the low back, the wrist is the next
most common injury site among golfers. The
wrist moves through a wide range of motion
during the swing and acts as an anchor point
of the club to the arms and body. The most
common mechanism of injury to wrist occurs
as a result of hitting something more than
the ball, for example, hitting the ground on
a "fat" shot. The wrist comes to a sudden
stop after accelerating through the swing
and this sudden stop can cause injury to
the soft tissue structures around the wrist.

THE MOST COMMON
WRIST INJURIES ARE:

* Wrist strain can occur when trying to hit a
ball out of thick rough, because the force
required to hit the ball through tall blades
of grass can alter the mechanics of the
swing and "jar" the wrist. Overuse injuries of the wrist occur more frequently,

especially with an increase in the volume
of balls hit or with changing the grip.
* Hamate bone fractures: abrupt contact
with the ground and golf head compresses the handle against the bony
prominence in the wrist known as
the hamate, occasionally causing the
bone to fracture.
* Wrist Tendonitis: occurs in the lead hand,
which has to bend forward on backswing
and flex backward at end of the swing.
* Ulnar Tunnel Syndrome: occurs with
repeated hammering of club handle
against the palm of hand resulting in pain,
inflammation, numbness and loss of grip
strength due to irritation of the nerve.
Elbow and shoulder injuries are common among amateur golf players. As
stated earlier, the golf swing encompasses
a wide range of motion. The elbow and
shoulder can be affected by an overextended backswing or with over flexing
the wrist on the downswing. Injury
to the shoulder can occur in the lead
shoulder (left shoulder in right handed
golfers and right shoulder in left handed
golfers). Injuries can be related to repetitive motion, abnormal swings or abrupt
change in motion.

THE MOST COMMON ELBOW AND
SHOULDER INJURIES ARE:

* Golfer's Elbow (medial epicondylitis): occurs with pain on the inside

References:
Walsh, B.; Chounthirath, T.; Friedenberg L. et al. "Golf-related injuries treated in United States emergency departments." Am J Emerg Med.
2017;35(11):1666-71. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2017.05.035.
Statista "Number of people who played golf within the last 12 months in the United States from spring 2008 to spring 2017 (in millions)"
2017 https://www.statista.com/statistics/227420/number-of-golfers-usa/
McHardy, A.; Pollard, H., & Luo, K. "Golf Injuries A Review of the Literature" Sports Med 2006: 36(2):171-187

N E PA

VITAL SIGNS

of the elbow and radiates into the
forearm and wrist
* Subacromial Impingement/Rotator Cuff
Tears/Acromioclavicular Joint Sprain:
occur more in the leading shoulder due
to weakness, excessive force during
follow through (posterior pain) or
at the top of the back swing (anterior shoulder pain)
* SLAP tear: a tear in the shoulder socket
of the non-leading shoulder
* Tendonitis/Bursitis/Frozen Shoulder: repetitive/overuse injuries of
either shoulder
There is no reason to allow these injuries to bring your golf season to an end.
If a problem or pain lasts longer than 2
weeks, please seek help from a healthcare
professional. A physical therapist can
help analyze a golfer's swing through
video analysis to assess for biomechanical
changes, strength and flexibility deficits
and design a program that meets the
golfer's individual needs.
Golf is a fun and pleasurable activity that
comes with plenty of positive outcomes. It
is a great form of physical exercise, especially when walking the course. Golf gets
people outside, which helps to increase
their exposure to Vitamin D and foster
relationships with each other as well as
burn calories. So get out there and golf
and have fun!
SUSAN M. DWYER PT, DPT,
CSCS, is Clinical Director at
Pro Rehabilitation Services.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/227420/number-of-golfers-usa/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NEPA Vital Signs - Summer Fall 2018