Golf Without Pain: How Physiotherapy Can Improve Your Game

Golf is more physical than it looks.

Golf might not involve sprinting up and down a pitch for 90 minutes, but don't be fooled into thinking it's easy on the body. An 18-hole round involves several hours on your feet, plenty of walking and dozens of powerful, repeated rotational movements. Add carrying or pulling a golf bag into the equation and there's a lot more physical demand than many people realise.

At Carter & George Hale, we see golfers for all sorts of reasons.

Some come to us because back pain is stopping them completing a round. Others aren't necessarily in pain but have noticed they're becoming stiffer and struggling to rotate as freely as they once did.

Then there are the golfers who've been compensating for an old knee, hip or shoulder problem for years without realising how much it's affecting their movement.

Why do golfers get injured?

The golf swing is a complex movement involving your feet, ankles, knees, hips, spine and shoulders working together. When everything moves well, forces can be distributed throughout your body.

When one area isn't moving as freely, another area often has to work harder.

Imagine, for example, that your hips have become particularly stiff. You still need to rotate to swing the club. If that movement isn't available through your hips, you may compensate by asking more from your lower back.

Do that repeatedly over 18 holes, several times a week, and it's easy to understand why discomfort can develop.

It's one reason why treating the painful area alone isn't always enough.

Lower back pain and golf

Back pain is one of the most common complaints we see among golfers.

Sometimes there's an obvious incident - a golfer feels their back go during a drive, for example. More commonly, it develops gradually.

You might notice stiffness when putting your shoes on before a round, discomfort after nine holes or an ache later that evening.

Factors can include limited hip or upper-back mobility, reduced strength, sudden increases in the amount of golf you're playing, or simply the repeated demands of your swing.

Physiotherapy gives us an opportunity to look at the bigger picture. Rather than simply asking, "Where does it hurt?", we're interested in why that particular area is being overloaded.

Your hips matter too

Hip movement plays an important role in both the backswing and follow-through.

Limited hip mobility can change the way you generate and transfer force through your body.

And it isn't only about mobility.

Your glutes and the other muscles around your hips need sufficient strength and control too.

A rehabilitation programme may therefore combine mobility exercises with strength work designed around the movements you need for golf.

The aim isn't to turn you into a professional athlete. It's to give your body the physical capacity it needs to enjoy your sport.

Shoulder and elbow problems

Golfers can also experience shoulder, elbow and wrist problems. You may have heard terms such as golfer's elbow, but pain around the elbow isn't always as straightforward as the name suggests.

The amount you're playing, your strength, previous injuries and even changes to your equipment or technique can all be relevant.

Shoulder problems can similarly affect your backswing and follow-through, particularly if you're already experiencing stiffness through the upper body.

If pain is beginning to alter your swing, it's worth addressing sooner rather than simply finding ways to work around it.

Can physiotherapy actually help your golf?

Our first priority is helping you move comfortably and confidently. But there's an interesting side effect: when your body moves more effectively, you may find certain aspects of your golf become easier too.

Physiotherapy and rehabilitation can focus on areas including:

• Hip and spinal mobility

• Lower-body strength

• Core strength and control

• Shoulder mobility

• Balance

• Stability

• Previous injury rehabilitation

• Preparing your body for the physical demands of golf

We're not golf coaches and we're not going to tell you how to swing a club. Instead, we work on giving your body the movement and capacity it needs to perform the movement you're asking of it.

Don't forget strength training

Golfers sometimes focus heavily on flexibility while overlooking strength.

Both matter.

Building strength can help your body tolerate the forces involved in your swing and the cumulative demands of playing regularly. Strength training doesn't necessarily mean lifting enormous weights.

A programme can be tailored to your age, experience, current ability and goals. For one golfer, that might involve fairly advanced gym work. For another, it could mean straightforward exercises they can comfortably perform at home.

Where does sports massage fit in?

You don't have to be injured to look after your body. Sports massage can be particularly useful for golfers who experience muscular tightness after playing or during busy periods of the season.

It can compliment your physiotherapy or rehabilitation programme by helping manage muscle tension and leaving you feeling more comfortable between rounds.

Some people use it reactively when they're particularly tight. Others prefer regular appointments as part of their wider wellbeing routine.

What about the golfer who simply wants to stay active?

This is important. You don't have to be chasing a lower handicap to benefit from physiotherapy.

For plenty of our patients, golf is about much more than the scorecard.

It's exercise. It's time outside. It's seeing friends. It's part of their weekly routine.

If pain means you're avoiding the course, cutting rounds short or worrying every time you swing, that's worth addressing.

Keeping you doing the activities you love is a big part of what we do at Carter & George.

When should you get something checked?

You don't need to book an appointment for every minor ache.

But consider getting advice if pain is persistent, keeps returning, is getting progressively worse or is starting to change the way you play.

The earlier we understand what's happening, the more options we often have.

Waiting until you can barely swing a club isn't a badge of honour.

Carter & George's Top Tip

Warm up before you tee off.

Five to ten minutes of movement before your first drive can help prepare your hips, spine and shoulders for the rotational demands of golf. Save the long static stretches for another time. Before playing, think movement: gentle rotations, squats, shoulder movements and a few progressively bigger practice swings.

Golf physiotherapy in Hale

Whether you're a member of a local golf club, play socially at weekends or simply want to keep enjoying the game as you get older, we're here to help.

At Carter & George Hale, our approach goes beyond treating the painful area. We combine physiotherapy, rehabilitation, exercise and wider wellbeing support to help you move well and stay active.

We support people from Hale, Hale Barns, Altrincham, Bowdon and the surrounding communities.

If pain or stiffness is starting to interfere with your golf, come and talk to us before it becomes the reason you stop playing.