Golf Injuries
Golf injuries can include either overuse or traumatic injuries1
Upper limb injuries are also common due to their role in linking the fast moving golf club with the power-generating torso.
Professional Golf Injuries
Professional golfers primarily experience overuse injuries1
Overall injury rates do not have a consensus, but include the following:
Gender differences
Most common sites of injury for professsional male golfers were:
Female professionals common injuries:
Causes
Professionals generally have good golf mechanics so the chance of them injuring themselves due to an improper swing is very low
Professional golfers generally experience injury due to excessive practice1. Since the professional’s income and career achievement is based on golf, they are more likely to re-aggravate existing injuries compared to an amateur1.
Amateur golfers
Amateur golfers primarily experience injury secondary to incorrect golf swing mechanics1
Common injury sites in amateur golfers:
- Low back
- Wrist
- Elbow
- Shoulder
Gender
Differing research exists, whether low back or wrist is the most common injured site in amateur males1.
The most common injury site in amateur females was the elbow1.
Causes
Most elbow injuries were diagnosed as Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) and usually occurred in the non-dominant elbow (L elbow for R-hand golfers)1
the most common MOI:
- Overuse injury
- Poor swing biomechanics
- Hitting the ground during the swing
Amateur vs Professional
Injury Type
Overuse injury
More common are the overuse injuries associated with the back, neck and shoulder1
Injury location
Specific injury sites
Low Back injuries
Many studies report the low back to be the most commonly injured site in golf (~23.7–34.5% of all injuries)1
Incorrect swing/miss is the most common method to injury the back1
The mechanics of the golf swing place a large range of motion and force on the low back such as:
Peak load during a golf swing on the low back is 8xBW, as opposed to 7xBW while rowing and 3xBW while jogging1.
Low back Amateur vs Professional
Wrist/Hand injuries
Incorrect swing/miss is the most common method to injure the wrist1