Common golfing shoulder injuries and how to avoid them
Are you a fan of hitting the green? Maintaining healthy shoulder conditions is absolutely crucial for playing a peak performance golf game. And, importantly, it’s key to being able to play regularly without repeated motion pain experienced by many dedicated players.
Whether it’s advising on preventative strategies or facilitating swift recovery from a traumatic injury, orthopaedic specialists can play an important in role in keeping golfers fighting fit to play. Mr Soong Chua is a leading shoulder specialist with years of experience assisting golfers of all stripes. If you’re a golfer looking for expert sports healthcare, his Melbourne-based practice is here to support you every step of the way.
Here’s a guide to some of the most common shoulder injuries in golf and how you can avoid them.
Common types of golf-related shoulder injuries
- Rotator cuff tears
- Subacromial impingement syndrome
- Shoulder arthritis
- AC joint pain
- Instability of the shoulder joint
- SLAP tear
- Stress to scapula
How do golfing shoulder injuries occur?
While some might think that golf is a relatively low intensity sport, committed players know this couldn’t be further from the truth. A precise, hard-hitting follow-through has serious impact. It draws strength from all parts of the body, but particularly from the shoulder.
When you swing a club, each shoulder is subject to a different kind of extreme motion. Your leading shoulder is stretched far towards the body, while your non-leading shoulder rotates externally. Especially if you play frequently, this intense use of the full range of motion for both shoulders can damage the joint cartilage and overwork the muscles and tendons.
Alternatively, injury can occur from a shock motion while playing such as falling or hitting an unseen obstacle with your club. These types of injuries tend to be more immediately painful and severe than slow-building repeated motion injuries.
