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 JULY 31, 2006 Shouldering a Golf Injury Swinging a golf club over and over again eventually wears down the shoulders. A golfer's hands go above the shoulder on both the backswing and follow-through. This can lead to muscle weakness or problems with the rotator cuff, the four tiny muscles that control fine motion in the shoulder. These problems can lead to permanent scarring, bony growth in the shoulder joint, and wearing out of shoulder cartilage. It's usually a right-handed golfer's left shoulder that hurts because the left arm is moving with more force than the right arm in the follow-through. Golf is the only sport in which the non-dominant side is the power side. So muscles that usually aren't used as much are subjected to greater force. That may be one reason why pro golfer Phil ("Lefty") Mickelson hits the ball so far - he's actually a natural righty who learned to play by mirroring his father's right-handed swing. Treating Rotator Cuff Injuries The best treatment is a series of exercises to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles to tighten the shoulder joint. You can do this at home using light free weights. Do the following exercises 50 times a day or until fatigue sets in, using no more than 15-pound weights: Arm Curl, Reverse Arm Curl, Front Lift (palm down), Front Lift (palm up), Lateral Lift, Bent-Over Lateral Lift, and Bent-Over Chest Lift. Illustrations of these exercises are available in Chapter 6: The Shoulder of Sports Injury Handbook. If you don't respond to a home exercise program, you may need to see a physical therapist to work with special exercise machines, or have the shoulder stabilized surgically. New arthroscopic surgery through button-hole-size incisions promotes fast healing and rehabilitation. |
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