Golf and Shoulder Pain - Tips for Recovery

There’s nothing like playing 18 holes at the Bridges or Canyon Lakes golf course at 9 in the morning after a long, hard week of work. The open space and lush surroundings are a wonderful reprieve from a stuffy office. If you’re lucky, like I was once, you may even catch a glimpse of a wild pheasant darting into the bushes. But be careful, because the game of golf can cause unwanted pain in the elbows, back and shoulder joints.

If you’re an avid golfer, the chances are good that you may experience shoulder pain at some point, if you haven’t already. Driving down the fairway puts a lot of rotational forces to the shoulder, which has the largest range of motion of all the joints in the human body. As such, it has many tendinous attachments and supportive structures which increase the chances of injury.

One of the most common causes of shoulder pain is a rotator cuff injury. The rotator cuff consists of the tendinous attachments to the humeral head that work together to move the shoulder in multiple planes. A rotator cuff injury occurs when tendons and/or muscles tear and cause pain. A powerful golf swing, swimming, and falling hard on an outstretched arm are examples of movements that can cause a rotator cuff tear.

If you are at the 16th hole at the Bridges and feel that you’ve injured your rotator cuff, cut your game short. Playing through a rotator cuff tear can quickly increase its size, and turn it into a surgical case. Instead, apply ice immediately, and rest it. A sandwich-sized, ziplock freezer bag full of ice works well. Hold it against your shoulder for 20 minutes; repeat every two hours during the waking hours for at least two days. You can tie the icebag down against your shoulder using a something comparable to a robe belt wrapped around the opposing underarm (you’ll need assistance doing this). Don’t attempt to move and stretch your shoulder during this time, just focus on reducing the inflammation.

See a doctor if any of the following occur:

• The pain persists for more than 2-3 days.
• You are unable to work due to the pain/limitations.
• You are unable to reach up or to the side with the affected arm after 2-3 days.
• You are unable to move the shoulder and arm at all.

Sprains and strains are given grades I-IV depending on severity, with Grade IV being a complete rupture. Treatment will depend on your particular grade. Sports physicians will typically offer a corticosteroid injection once the injury has reached an acute stage.

Another option is laser therapy. Laser treatment works to reduce inflammation and enhance cellular metabolism of injured cells, thereby shortening the healing time. It is applied directly on the skin, and penetrates down to the rotator cuff transdermally, with no incision involved.

The Pain and Injury Doctor