The Prevalence of Injuries in Golf

Wed Sep 4, 2013 by Dave Phillips

Golf is a game that is played by more than 55 million people worldwide and statistics show that many golf injuries result in a forced absence from the game of at least a month. That's pretty stagering. The financial implications to the game due to injury are enormous and there is a huge opportunity to create simple programs that identify risk and prevent injury.  It is important for golf and medical professionals to understand how and why injuries can occur. 

With professional golfers, almost 80% of the injuries come from overuse.  Injuries in amateur golfers can be caused by overuse but in most cases, they occur due to swing patterns developed around physical limitations.  As a result, they over stress areas of the body and create further injury to pre-existing conditions.  In professional golfers, we primarily see injuries in the wrists, back, shoulders and hips from overuse.  In amateurs, we tend to see injuries in the lower back and elbows due to poor technique and dysfunctional movement patterns.

At TPI, we have created the largest network of golf, medical and fitness professionals in the world and they have the skills necessary to assess a golfers' functional movement and help prevent injury.  If you have an existing injury or want to make sure you have the best chance at playing golf injury free, I would highly recommend you see a TPI Certified Professional and have a simple evaluation done.  This one step may help you recover from an injury faster or identify issues that may cause injury down the road.  Along the way, you'll develop a much better understanding of your golf swing. 

 

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