When will I be able to play golf again?

by Fay Pedler

This is the desperate plea from the injured player.

The reply naturally depends on what is wrong and how long it has been a problem. Injuries occur in two ways.
ACUTE: This is the sudden onset, i.e. immediate pain, or pain that occurs shortly after the injury.
CHRONIC: Chronic pain tends to be from over use, a gradual realisation of something being wrong. This usually presents as stiffness in the morning but is easily worked off; this is actually detrimental.

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Muscles, ligaments and tendons will repair, only bone regenerates, so treatment and activity have to be balanced to ensure the best possible healing.

Scattered around the body are sacs of fluid called bursae, these stop the tissues rubbing together. The bursa can become inflamed and swollen and very painful: Common sites are shoulders and hips, trying to play golf through this condition will make matters much worse.

TREATMENTS

ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES
These tablets bring down the inflammation and so reduce the pain. However the healing is not as good as it could be without them, but due to the level of pain they are often necessary.

STRETCHING AND SOFT TISSUE MASSAGE
This is vital for good healing and to reduce the tightness of scar tissue.

HYDROCORTISONE INJECTIONS
This is the successful treatment for certain conditions. The injections have a bad reputation for being painful but they should not be. Providing the dosage is correct and depending on the site to be treated the injection will not be damaging.

Over the next few months there will be various articles with diagrams about different types of injuries, how to recognise, manage, and treat them.

Tel: 01752 664519
E-Mail: fayepedler@btconnect.com