Fitness and Injury Solutions for Indianapolis Area Golfers

Injury Statistics

  • At any given time, as many as 30% of all professional golfers are playing injured.   (1)

  • 53% of male and 45% of female golfers suffer from back  pain.   (2)

  • Those who play golf and participate in another sport are 40% more likely to develop back pain than those who just play golf.     (3)

Common Golf Injuries

  • Lower back pain
  • Wrist pain
  • Elbow pain (golfers elbow)
  • Shoulder pain
  • Neck pain
  • Knee pain
  • Hip and/or Groin pain

Why Golf Injuries ?


Most golf injuries occur due to the repetitive nature of the golf swing.  Everything from your feet  and legs up through your core and spine to your shoulders, arms and hands plays a part.  If there is restriction, weakness or an imbalance somewhere in the body, some other body part will try to work a little harder to make up the difference.  Over time this leads to what is called a repetitive stress injury.  A good analogy is tire wear and alignment issues on a vehicle, if you only replace the tires without re-alignment the new tires will wear prematurely.  Our bodies are the same way, when you only treat the obvious problem without addressing the contributing factors, injuries come back or they become chronic in nature.  When Tiger had surgery to repair a ligament problem in his left knee, he also went through a major swing change.  One of the reasons he did this was to take the stress off of the knee, so he would not end up with the same problem.  

Injury Treatment


The initial office visit begins with a consultation and evaluation of the injury.  A golf specific physical is also performed to help determine the nature of the injury.  X-rays and/or other diagnostic procedures may be performed based upon the needs of your case.  Treatment is usually started on the first visit in most cases.  Dr. Tuckey will create a treatment  protocol to get you back on the course, with minimal down time, as soon as it is safe for you to play. Please call the office at (317) 351-0345 for an appointment.

References

  1. Watkins,R.G., Uppal, G.S., Perry, J., Pink, M. & Dinsay, J.M. (1996). Dynamic Electromyographic Analysis of Trunk Musculature in Professional Golfers. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 24, (4).
  2. McCarroll, J.R. (1996). The Frequency of Golf Injuries. Clinics in Sports Medicine, 15(1).
  3. Fore!  Athletes who Golf are at Risk for Back Pain. (November 1996). The Joint Letter, 2(10).