Golfers are predisposed to the risk of injury.  Apart from abusive traumatic injury such as being hit by a golf ball or twisting an ankle, the golfer may suffer from overuse, misuse and disuse.

All these factors may be the result of or result in poor golf technique.  Several regions of the golfer are susceptible. These include the wrist, elbow, shoulder, back and neck.

Frequently, golfers experience pain on the inside of the elbow which may be due to excessively tight grip and/or poor back swing and follow through.  Stretches of the hand-finger flexors may help this.  Pain on the outside of the elbow is often associated with incorrect wrist action.  Both conditions may also have nerve irritation.

The swinging action of golf requires good trunk rotation.  Lack of trunk rotation may contribute to poor movement of the shoulders, resulting in excessive use of the hand - arm musculature, as well as poor balance on the feet. Accessory movements may develop to compensate for the lack of thorax rotation.  Excessive lateral pelvic shifting may ensue, which can lead to severe chronic low back pain.  Terminology, such as poor lumbo-pelvic rhythm or 'the tail that wags the dog' has been used to describe this scenario which can lead to functional instability in the low back.  Additional areas of functional instability may include the upper thoracic spine and even the vertebrae of the neck.  All these conditions may result in nerve irritation.

• strengthening for the deep abdominal muscles, shoulder muscles and thigh muscles
• stretching for the neck, back, shoulders and arms
• rotation mobility and stability using a broom in the entire swing
• consulting your golf pro and physiotherapist
• watch this video