Dell Match Play and Golf Injuries

The stage is set for the best players in the world to tee off right here in Austin this week at the World Golf Championships - Dell Match Play, at the Austin Country Club (March 23-27). Among the 64 top players expected to compete are Rory McIlroy and Jim Furyk.

Although golf is often considered to be a low-risk sport with little chance for injury, it is a game requiring a great deal of skill and precision to make shots that can take a toll on your body. Most injuries tend to result from the "overuse" of certain joints or muscle groups when swinging the golf club. Common injuries include tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Other ailments frequently affecting golfers are:

Low Back Pain: sore or tight back due to the great pressure put on the spine and back muscles from the twisting motion of a golf swing.

To avoid low back pain, incorporate activities into your workout routine off the course:

• Rowing drills are easy to do with rubber tubing, or an elastic exercise band. Place it around something at shoulder height (such as a door hinge), stand with arms straight out in front, and then slowly pull the tubing or band toward your chest. Release and perform three sets of ten reps.

Golfer's Elbow: an inflammation of the tendons linking forearm muscles to the inside of the bone at the elbow causing pain and tenderness.

To help strengthen forearm muscles and prevent golfer's elbow, try these simple exercises:

• Squeezing an old tennis ball for five minutes at a time, at a steady, constant rate.
• Performing wrist curls with a lightweight dumbbell, working up to ten repetitions on each wrist.
• Yoga and pilates are excellent at building core strength and fostering greater balance and flexibility - all things that can benefit your golf swing and help protect your back.
  
  
  

Also, in golf it is important to continually be aware of your surroundings on the course and your proximity to other players. It is easy to suffer an injury unexpectedly from being hit by an errant ball or swinging club.

If you are experiencing frequent pain due to a golf injury, contact us.

(Courtesy of OrthoInfo from American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)

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