Don't Risk Injury on the Golf Course

The summer weather continues to be glorious and The Open Championship is just around the corner, so it’s the perfect time to grab your clubs and take to the fairways.

But anyone planning a quick 18 holes should remember to limber up and stretch properly before hitting the golf course – or risk coming back with a serious injury.

Pain affects thousands of golfers across the UK every day, and more than 60 per cent of golfers suffer injuries that can result in the loss of at least five weeks of the season. But this pain can be easily avoided if golfers take bit of preparation before and during their rounds.

Many golfers don’t realise that they can cut their chances of becoming injured by taking simple precautions. Advice and treatment from a chartered physiotherapist specialising in golfing performance - such as those at the Edinburgh and Glasgow Physio Centres - will help you loosen your muscles and joints to improve your golfing potential, as well as identifying and treating any pre-existing conditions that affect your swing and leave you at risk of injury.

Your body compensates for bad habits, which puts more strain through joints which are not designed for the added stresses of a poor swing path. You may believe that practice makes perfect, but constant repetition of a poor swing will create muscle imbalances which strongly affect your ability to play well – and put extra pressure on your body.

By following a few easy exercises before and during your round, you‘ll be able to rotate and move more freely, thus avoiding the added strain caused by your bad habits. Combined with advice from a seasoned golf pro, this will not only prevent injuries but will help you improve your power and accuracy.

Try using the following exercises before your round and while you are on the course, to get the best results:

• Upper Back Stretches – to increase power, reduce lower back injury and reduce slicing/topping
• Buttock squeezing- this improves your ‘core control’ and makes it easier to improve your ability to develop wind up and recoil
• Buttock Stretches – to reduce slicing/hooking, reduce lower back pain and improve power
• Neck Muscle Stretches – improves shoulder control and reduces slicing/topping
• Forearm Stretches – improves forearm control, reduces slicing and reduces ‘tennis elbow’ pain
• Neck & Shoulder Massages – reduces chances of slicing/topping, increases control and power and reduces neck and upper back stress

Some of these exercises are designed to help prevent lower back pain, which is the most common golfing injury that we treat. By loosening the spine around your shoulder blades, increasing your pelvis muscle control and tightening your buttocks regularly, you will improve your power potential and reduce your chances of injury. It’s actually really easy!

Our Golf Swingbuster exercises will set any golfer on the right path to a pain-free game (regardless of their age), but remember if anyone experiences discomfort during or after they play, they may have an underlying problem which requires further examination.

Your body tells you what you need and any aches and pains are often an indication that you are developing problems which will ultimately affect your game and your handicap. Best advice is to get these sorted sooner than later to prevent them from becoming an issue.

Call the Edinburgh Physio Centre on 0131 556 1116 or the Glasgow Physio Centre on 0141 332 6000 to make your appointment or chat with one of our Chartered Physiotherapists about how we can help you to avoid pain on the course, swing better and start cutting your handicap down to size.