Do you love golf but injuries keep you away?
Being in pain sucks! A lot of people take their health for granted.
For those of you who love to golf, but your body doesn’t love it as much. This article is for you.
After walking hundreds of miles on the golf course and thousands of balls struck my body was aching all the time. You name it..feet, neck, back, knees…all of them hurt!
If you are having aches and pains these golf stretching routines should save you from some suffering. Below I share the solutions that helped me have fun playing golf again
Do you have foot and heel pain?
Maybe you have Plantar Fasciitis…
Plantar Fasciitis can commonly be found with golfers who regularly walk a lot. Pain was worst for me in the morning.
After spending a lot of time researching Plantar Fasciitis this is what I found out.
Causes:
- Excessive running or walking
- Inadequate footwear
- Injuries from the impacts from landing while running, jumping or walking
Symptoms:
- Pain on the bottom of the heel or mid range on the bottom of your foot
- The pain usually worsens when you stand on your toes or climb stairs
- Start to feel the pain after standing for long periods of time
Cures:
- Apply ice packs directly to the effected area
- Adding heel support to your shoes while walking or playing golf
- Promote the blood flow to help it heal by resting your foot
- Wrapping your foot to create a better environment to help the heel start to heal more
An Exercise to Stretch Your Calves
- Stand an arm’s length from a wall.
- Place your right foot behind your left.
- Slowly and gently bend your left leg forward.
- Keep your right knee straight and your right heel on the ground.
- Hold the stretch for 15 to 30 seconds and release
- Reverse the position of your legs, and repeat
Foot Pain: Use Massaging Insoles and Stretch
After trying all kinds of exercises, remedies, and insoles I accidentally came on to these massaging insoles. A friend recommended them, I tried them and after a few weeks I felt younger. Since putting these in my golf and work shoes my pain was gone – it was truly amazing. The back and hips feel better as well “what a finish”.
Does your wrist hurt?
Wrist injuries can develop gradually and become very painful over time. If you play a lot of golf then a wrist injury or pain is inevitable.
Causes:
- Poor physical strength or conditioning
- No warm up
- Poor swing mechanics
- Overuse by playing or practicing too much
Symptoms:
- If pain is lasting more than 1-2 weeks you should see a doctor and not play through the pain
- Swelling or bruising
- Pain while moving the wrist
Cures:
- Take a break from playing
- Ice to take the immediate pain away
- Wrap your wrist or wear a brace to stabilize it
- If injury is not too serious just tone back the frequency of playing golf while the injury heals
Exercises:
- Hand grip strengthening exercises
- Stretching hand up and down many times (not if there is a tear of any kind in the wrist)
- If there is a tear rest is best
Wrist Pain: Take a Break Then Strengthen Them
In my case I was playing with a sore wrist until I hit a tree root on a shot. At this point the pain was so bad I had to stop playing for a few weeks. On my break from golf I wore a wrist guard from Amazon . Once it felt better I starting doing 3 sets of 15 reps of wrist curls everyday with 15 lb dumbbells. This made all the difference. Now I still play a lot of golf but I hit less balls on the driving range, and my wrist is way stronger. Wrist Strength is important and this easy exercise takes only a few minutes a day. Try it!
Shoulder Issues?
The most common injury in the shoulder for a golfer is a tendinitis or a problem with the Rotator Cuff. Most people eventually get slight tears in their shoulder but with age the injury starts to cause more pain. This was my case.
Causes:
- Swinging golf clubs with improper form
- Overuse by swinging many times in a small period of time
- Not stretching before a round of golf
Symptoms:
- Pain at rest during the night
- Pain while lifting or moving your arm
- Weakness while lifting or rotating your arm
Cures:
- Rest
- Ice
- Compression around the shoulder
Exercises:
- Stretching and strengthening your shoulder with rubber elastic bands
Sore Shoulders: Simple Daily Exercises
My shoulders were very sore especially the right one. A regular routine of simple exercises every morning have helped a lot. This is not rocket science…just a couple of dumbbells or elastic bands and you will feel better in no time.
Neck Issues?
By far this was the most serious injury/condition I dealt with. I went to Doctors, Chiropractors, and Physio Therapists. Following a couple of X-rays and MRIs the diagnosis was Degenerative Neck Disease. There was a lot of pain just below my shoulder blade and my 3 small fingers were numb.
Apparently the MRI showed wear and tear in the C6 and C7 vertebrae in my spine. I was told the golf, poor posture, and age were the cause of this “disease” Luckily I found a very experienced Physio Therapist that said this is a common problem and can be solved.
My Solution: Physio-Tens Machine-New Pillows-Better Posture-Lumbar Support-Different Sleep Position
At a trade show, one of booths was selling tens machines. Still in a lot of pain the sales guy said try one of these while walking around the pavilion and come back in an hour or two.
Immediately my neck felt better!
To make a long story short the tens machine, a new pillow, physio, and lumbar support for my office chair at work reduced my neck pain.
Through trial and error…adjusting my sleep position also made a difference.
Sleeping on my side with my head higher on the new memory foam pillow with my arms towards my legs around a different pillow did the trick. The neck has never been an issue since.
Pain Management – Lessons Learned
Pain is a funny thing!
Our bodies let us know quickly when something is not right. Approaching my fifties I realized I can’t take my body for granted.
Some minor changes like using massaging insoles, daily exercise, and watching your posture really help a human feel better.
Don’t forget to eat your broccoli and get a good nights sleep as well!
Here’s to you! Clink
Please let me know if any of this helped or you have some simple solutions to your daily pains…
