Massage for Top Golfing Injuries

Golfing injuries are fairly common because of the repetitiveness of the swing and how technically demanding it is. The repeated twisting involved with swings puts stress on the same muscles, tendons and joints, especially the lower back, shoulders and wrists.

Another factor is the rotational force of the swing. The golf swing generates a lot of torque, particularly through the spine. If your technique isn’t solid, or your body isn’t conditioned for it, that stress can lead to issues like muscle strains or even problems related to the spine.

Injuries can also occur if you do not warm up before playing. Jumping straight into a round without loosening up makes muscles more prone to strain. Golfers who don’t work on mobility (especially in the hips and thoracic spine) often compensate in ways that cause injury.

Equipment and environment are important too. Clubs that are the wrong size or weight can force awkward body mechanics, and hitting off hard surfaces (like mats or compact ground) increases impact stress on the wrists and elbows.

Following is a brief description of some of the top golfing injuries, the symptoms, and the massage I perform to aid recovery.

Lower Back Strain

This is probably the most common injury. A golf swing creates a high rotational force on the lumbar spine (lower back). Poor swing mechanics, weak core muscles, or overplaying can strain muscles and discs in the lumbar region.

Common symptoms include stiffness or soreness after playing and pain when rotating or bending. Tight hamstrings may accompany the back pain.

Massage to help: Muscle tension anchored in the feet and present in the back of the legs can contribute to low back pain. I therefore start my treatment with a thorough massage of the feet. Then I massage the calves and hamstrings to relieve any tension held there.

Next I massage the back, paying particular attention to the lumbar area. Then the glute muscles are massaged. If a lot of tension is discovered one or more further cycles of massaging the lumbar and glute areas are performed. Whilst massaging all these areas, I'm always looking for trigger points ("muscle knots") which typically cause pain; treating these helps relax the muscles and reduces pain.

Pressing glutes to relieve tension

Reducing tension in glutes - moving muscles under pressure

Golfer's Elbow (Medial Epicondylitis)

This is a classic overuse injury. Repetitive gripping and swinging irritates the tendons on the inside of the elbow.

Common symptoms include a pain on the inner elbow, weak grip strength, and pain when shaking hands or lifting objects.

Massage to help: The approach for resolving golfer's elbow is to relieve muscle tension, improve blood flow to support tissue repair, and to break up any adhesions ("muscle knots"). Tension in the arms is anchored in your hands, so I massage these thoroughly first. Then specific strokes are used on the forearm followed by the upper arm being massaged.

Relieving muscle tension in the arm

Rotator Cuff Tendonitis

This a classic overuse injury of the shoulder. The lead shoulder (left shoulder for a right-handed player) absorbs repetitive stress during the swing.

Common symptoms include shoulder pain when lifting the arm, a feeling of weakness in the shoulder, and discomfort if sleeping on the injured side.

Massage to help: As part of my back massage I often perform a thorough massage of the shoulders, particularly if they are stiff or need strengthening (and assuming no inflammation). One of the rotator cuff muscles, the subscapularis, lies on the inside of the shoulder blade. This requires certain techniques to massage it. The muscles between the shoulder blades and the spine are also targeted, in particular looking for "muscle knots". This also helps with improved mobility of the thoracic spine.

Massaging between the shoulder blades

Knee Injuries (Meniscus Strain or Osteoarthritis)

The lead knee is often affected. The lead knee absorbs torque during the downswing and follow-through.

Common symptoms include pain when twisting, swelling, and clicking or instability.

Massage to help: For an injured knee after any swelling has gone down, I typically massage the foot, lower leg and upper leg first to relieve any tension either side of the knee. Then I use a variety of strokes on the muscles and tissue surrounding the knee, the aim being to strengthen them and speed up recovery.

Massage circles around the knee

Wrist Tendonitis

This is common in golfers who do a lot of practise. Any impact with the ground (especially fat shots) stresses the wrist tendons.

Common symptoms include pain on impact, swelling, and reduced wrist mobility.

Massage to help: Assuming there is no swelling of the wrist, the wrist area can be gently massaged to stimulate faster tendon/tissue repair. The wrist tendons run through your forearm so this is massaged too. In addition, joint mobilisation techniques can be used to increase the range of motion of the wrist.

Stretching wrist (wrist mobilisation)

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