Golf and Knee Pain
Golf is a safe activity, however due to the repetitive nature of the sport you can be susceptible to overload injuries or acute sprains and strains. This is particularly common in those who lack mobility, those who play multiple games per week and the higher handicap players.
Golf related injuries require a thorough assessment in order to diagnose the problem as well as to identify any contributing factors. As I mentioned above, there are a lot of moving parts to a golf swing and as such, we need acceptable mobility throughout the body in order to swing effectively. Identification of the contributing factors is crucial in treating the injury itself, as the problem may actually be restricted hip mobility but the symptom of the issue is knee pain. In this example, we can treat the knee all we like, but it won’t have any real effect unless we address the restricted hip rotation. We may be able to get it to feel better in the short term, but once you get back to golfing, the pain is likely to return.
Often, once you’ve been thoroughly assessed, addressing the mobility deficits can be relatively quick and easy which is good news as it means you’ll be back to swinging the golf club as soon as possible. As with any injury, we here at BeFit Training Physio like to keep you engaged in your regular activity as much as your injury will allow. Golfers are no different, so it is important to us that we develop a plan together in order for you to promptly return to the course. In this situation, it may be as simple as changing your setup slightly by altering setup rotation of the injured leg, allowing you to continue to play but protecting the injury – this will allow you to continue to play your weekly round of golf while working on the rehab plan in order to get you back to 100%.
If you are a golfer who is dealing with an injury, or you would like to improve your mobility and feel more comfortable and powerful in your swing, you may be interested in a Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) physical assessment run by our resident TPI certified golf Physiotherapist Tom. This is a golf specific physical assessment which identifies any deficits in mobility or motor control which may be holding you back from a smooth, powerful and injury-free swing.
