Common Golf Injuries

March 19, 2022 by Dr. Christiana Savvidou

Hand, wrist, and elbow injuries are common in professional and amateur golfers. The golf swing is a complex motion requiring good coordination. Golf injuries occur from poor technique or hand overuse.

Golf injuries include tendon overuse, tendon sprains, or broken bones. These injuries may arise from the repeated stress of practicing the golf swing. Some specific golf injuries may include:

• Sprained Wrist
  A sprain is an injury to a ligament. Ligaments connect one bone to another. Symptoms include pain and popping in the wrist. Mild sprains may be treated with ice, anti-inflammatory medicine local and oral, rest, and splint. More severe sprains or pain that is lasting longer than expected should be evaluated by a hand surgeon. Imaging of the wrist may be necessary, sometimes an MRI is needed.
  
  
• Tendinitis wrist and elbow
  In the wrist, pain often occurs in the leading hand of the golf player. In the elbow, tendinitis is often on the inner part of the elbow (Golfer’s elbow) where the muscles that bend the wrist and fingers attach.
  
  Initial treatment for tendinitis consists of rest, ice, stretching, splinting, and anti-inflammatory medications. Tendinitis can be treated with specific stretching and strengthening exercises, or changing grips on the golf club. Sometimes steroid injections are tried. Most elbow tendinitis will resolve after many months. Few cases may require surgery.
  
  
• Hamate Bone Fractures
  This injury often occurs when the club hits forcefully the ground. When this happens, the handle presses against the boney hook-shaped part of the bone, causing pain in the heel of the hand. This hook fracture often does not heal if left without treatment.
  
  
• Damaged Blood Vessels Blood vessel damage can happen from the club handle repeatedly striking the hand. There is often pain in the palm, or reduced blood flow in the fingers. There may also be numbness in the fingertips.
  
  

How to reduce the chances of an injury while playing golf:

• Proper warm-up and stretching are important. Make sure you stretch all the muscles, especially shoulders and wrists before every game.
  
• Good core muscle strength improves swing mechanics.
  
• Get instruction from professionals to refine your technique if you are new to golf or haven’t played for a while.