It’s far from ideal golf weather here in Tennessee, but with The Masters tournament only a couple weeks away, people will soon start to get the itch to get back on the golf course this year. Gearing up for another year of golf can be exciting, but if you have a history of shoulder problems or your shoulders just aren’t what they used to be, it’s important that you are smart about how you approach the season, otherwise we may be seeing you in our office! In today’s blog, we share some tips for keeping your shoulders safe through another long golf season.
Protecting Your Shoulders While Golfing
Shoulder injuries are extremely common in golfers, accounting for roughly 20 percent of all golf injuries. They affect both amateurs and professionals alike, ranking as the third most common injury for professional golfers and the fourth most common injury for amateur and recreational golfers. So what can you do to avoid becoming another statistic when it comes to shoulder injuries among golfers? Here are some tips.
- Ease Into It – We know you’re itching to play a round, but don’t just jump on the course and rip your driver off the tee without giving your body time to ease into the activity. Head to the golf range and take some swings at 50-75 percent before working your way up to a full swing. Your muscles and ligaments need time to adjust to the new stress you’ll be putting on them for months, so hit the practice range a few times before you step into the tee box for the first time on the course.
- Stretch – You also want to ease into activity on the micro-level, ensuring that your body is ready for activity before you start swinging. Before you pull a club out of your bag and start swinging, take a couple of minutes to stretch your upper and lower body. Transitioning these muscles from an inactive to an active state prior to swinging will help ensure they can handle the forces being applied on them.
- Correct Swing Posture – If you have shoulder problems or are concerned about keeping your shoulder healthy, consider working with a swing coach. If you don’t have an ideal swing, you can end up putting extra pressure on the shoulders, and that can lead to injury. For example, if you have poor posture when you swing and your back is not in the right alignment, golfers may attempt to make up for the limited backswing rotation caused by this inefficient spinal alignment by raising their shoulders and arms to try and generate more force, putting the shoulders in a potentially compromising position. Have a coach or trainer examine your swing and make corrections if it could be putting undue stress on your shoulders.
- Don’t Overplay Early In The Season – If you’re like most people, you probably didn’t golf much during the winter, so don’t overload your shoulders and your body with golf swings early in the season. We know that you want to get out on the course, but don’t play 72 holes in five days if you haven’t golfed a round in five months. Overuse and repetitive stress are the top causes of shoulder injuries, so again, ease into activity.
- Shoulder Strengthening Exercises – When you’re not on the course, take 10-20 minutes each day to help strengthen and stabilize your shoulders so that they can handle the stress that golfing will put on them. Do some physical therapy or resistance band exercises that help to target all the small muscles and tissues in your shoulder that help it function properly. If you’re looking for help developing a shoulder strengthening routine, reach out to our team!
- Stop Small Problems – Finally, if a shoulder problem develops or you notice that your shoulder is starting to cause problems with your golf swing, head to a specialist. Trying to push through the pain and finish a round can serve to make the problem worse. Golfing is no fun if every swing is painful, so set up an appointment with Dr. Holloway, figure out what’s going on and develop a treatment plan to get back out on the course without pain. Solutions are often much more simpler than you imagine so long as you catch a problem in its infancy.
We hope that you have another great golf season, but if a shoulder issue is causing problems, let Dr. Holloway and his team provide assistance. For more information, or for help with your shoulder issue, give his team a call today at (865) 410-7887.
