Rotator Cuff Injury
The rotator cuffs are the four stabilizing muscles located on each shoulder; golfers can easily develop tendinitis, bursitis, and tears in the rotator cuff due to the repetitive motion of the golf swing.
There are two types of rotator cuff golfing injuries, both can cause pain and inhibit your game:
- Rotator cuff impingements: Occurs when the tendons swell and pinch the space between the arm and the bones in the shoulder.
- Rotator Cuff Tear: this happens when there are tears in the shoulder muscle and tendons.
Knee Pain and Damage
Golfers commonly complain from knee pain due to the strain placed on it to stabilize the rotation of the hip axis at the beginning of the swing. Torn ligaments can be a result of placing extreme force on a weak knee, and knee injuries are especially problematic for arthritis sufferers given the degenerative nature of the disease which can gradually wear down the joint cartilage.
Hip Injuries
Although the hip joint is usually very mobile and able to withstand a lot of stress, it is particularly vulnerable when playing golf since the swing involves a large amount of pivoting and twisting movements. The hip joint resembles the shoulder joint or rotator cuff so the injuries sustained at the hip are very similar to the tears experienced at the shoulders.