Don’t Ignore Pain When Playing Golf
For millions of American’s, golfing is a fun pastime. However, if done incorrectly golfing can quickly lead to a lot of injuries. The first thing you need to understand as a golfer is that you will have to put in a lot of time and effort to develop and maintain the skill. You will also need to understand that with all of that hard work comes the increased chance of injuries to your elbows and shoulders.
Listen to What Your Body is Telling You
Pain is your body’s way of letting you know that you did something wrong. Sustaining an injury while golfing that causes joint pain or inflammation in your shoulders and elbows and then not taking care of the problem looked at, can cause that injury to become worse over time. Scenarios like this happen all the time and it can severely affect your ability to do the things you love doing. Sometimes it even ends with the injury requiring shoulder or elbow surgery. If you’ve been noticing sharp pains in your shoulders or elbows, don’t ignore it. Even if you’re worried it might keep you off the green for a while. The alternative is possibly never getting to work on your handicap again.
Possible Injuries Golfers Can Sustain
To avoid injuries, every golfer needs to ensure that they practice proper form and perfect their swing. Statistics show that up to 27% of golf injuries happen to the elbow and up to 19% affect the shoulder. There are many injuries that any golfer, even avid golfers need to look out for.
Injuries in your elbows and shoulders can be mild injuries like tendinitis or bursitis, where the treatment is resting and icing it and possibly medication to help the pain. They can also be much more severe injuries like damage to the cartilage causing impingement or torn tendons and ligaments that require surgery and physical therapy to correct them.
Ignoring Pain Can Make Things Worse
If you choose to simply live with your golf shoulder or elbow injuries instead of going to the doctor for a prolonged period, a mild injury can turn into chronic pain and issues. Don’t wait until it’s gotten so bad that to bend your elbow or lift your arms above your head causes excruciating pain. Don’t wait until what could have been fixed with rest and ice, now needs surgery. However, if you have, or you’re in doubt of the severity of the injury, don’t hesitate to seek advice from your favorite orthopedic surgeon. Dr. Skedros is here to help!