While gold is not known as a high-impact sport, there are numerous ways that playing gold can wreak havoc with your body. A golf swing is a highly complex movement, and small errors can be costly in terms of bodily injury.
If you suffer from golf-related injuries like tendonitis or rotator cuff problems, you might be thinking that the only viable alternatives involve invasive surgery. Luckily, there have been recent advances in treatment that offer alternatives for your sports-related injuries.
What are the main injuries that people suffer playing golf?
Because golf involves so many muscle groups, and because golfers constantly work on their swings, there are multiple injuries that can occur while practicing and playing the game.
These injuries include the following:
- Back pain: because the golf stand involves leaning over the club and rotating, improper posture while practicing the swing can result in serious back injuries. The rotational movement when practiced without correct form can cause anything from mild discomfort to shooting pain in the lower back and between the shoulder blades.
- Rotator cuff injury: the shoulder is stabilized by a system of four muscles, and when they are injured and inflamed they can cause nerve impingements, not to mention small tears in the tendons and muscles as the golfer tries to perfect the power of the swing.
- Tendinitis:the inner and outer tendons of the elbow are particularly susceptible to injury, especially when they are not allowed proper rest. The wrist can also suffer from tendinitis if the golfer’s grip isn’t consistent. This can lead to an inability to hold the club correctly or even at all.
- Other joint damage: golfers can also suffer hip, ankle, or knee pain from the strain placed on the body during the swing and from carrying around the clubs. If stretching and strengthening the surrounding muscles isn’t taking place, the chances for tendonitis and other joint problems is increased while playing golf.
Non-surgical treatment options for gold-related injuries
The thread that ties these injuries together is tissue damage. Whether it is a nerve impingement, sprain, strain or tear, what has happened in each case is tissue from the musculoskeletal system has been damaged and is causing inflammation and pain. Medicine just masks the pain, and many people seek non-invasive options instead of surgical ones when looking at treatment.
One of the most effective ways to treat tissue damage related to sports injuries is with Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injections. In this procedure, a patient’s blood is drawn, then a concentrated solution is created containing the patient’s platelets, specialized cells that send messages to other cells that promote the processing of healing and cellular replacement.
The solution is then injected at the site of the injury, and these cells go to work sending messages and releasing amino acids and other growth factors to the cells of the damaged tissue, speeding the process of renewal and repair.
No one wants their favorite sports or leisure activity to be interrupted or to cause them debilitating pain or injuries that affect the rest of their daily life. PRP injections can restore the damaged tissue and give you not only your swing back but freedom from pain in daily activities.