What Every Golfer Should Know About Common Injuries.

Whether you just picked up a set of clubs or have been playing for years, understanding the injuries that can come from golf will help both your game and your overall health.

Injuries From Poor Mechanics

For beginners, injuries often come down to body mechanics. A bad golf swing that isn’t corrected early can turn into years of bad habits, and bad scores. If you’re new to the game, a few lessons with a teaching pro can help you learn proper form from the start. If you’ve already felt pain during your swing, a physical therapist with musculoskeletal expertise can help reduce that pain and improve your game.

Injuries That Build Up Over Time

More experienced players tend to deal with a different set of problems. A Harvard Medical School study points to overuse as the leading reason golfers develop back, shoulder, and elbow problems, which makes sense given how many times a golfer swings during a round of 18.

Back pain is common and often comes from limited mobility in the hips and lower back, combined with weak lower back and core muscles. It’s worth seeing a physical therapist if you notice back pain with bending or twisting, excessive stiffness during or after a round, muscle spasms, or pain or weakness in the legs.

Golfer’s elbow, also known as medial or lateral epicondylitis, shows up as pain in the elbow, but it’s often caused by poor swing mechanics or weak back muscles rather than a problem with the elbow itself. Tightness in the back or improper form can lead to compensation that puts extra strain on the elbow joint. Pain while gripping a club, or a loss of grip or wrist strength, is a sign to have it checked out.

Shoulder injuries are less common for casual players but are among the most frequent injuries for professionals. Excessive force on the joint can lead to tendinopathies, rotator cuff tears, and labrum tears. Watch for pain in or around the shoulder, clicking or popping with movement, or weakness that makes it difficult to move the arm. These kinds of tears tend to get worse with continued activity, so they’re worth treating early.

Arthritis is also worth watching for, especially for players who are retired or nearing retirement. Knee and hip pain can cause golfers to unconsciously compensate and adjust their swing mechanics. Arthritis doesn’t have to mean giving up golf, and staying active on the course can actually help ease arthritic symptoms. If you do have arthritis, it’s a good idea to have your swing evaluated to make sure your mechanics haven’t shifted for the worse as you’ve aged.

Lowering Your Risk on the Course

A walking cart for your clubs is worth considering if you usually walk the course. Studies have shown that golfers who carry their own clubs are about twice as likely to injure their back. A more efficient swing, built through strength, flexibility, and muscle control, also helps reduce injury risk, and what counts as efficient will look different depending on your body type and strength. Before you play, a proper warm-up should be dynamic: raise your heart rate and move your joints through their full range of motion with squats, lunges, trunk rotations, and arm circles, then work up gradually from half-speed swings with short irons to full swings with a driver.