**4. Overuse injuries**

Overuse injuries affecting the musculoskeletal system are caused by repetitive trauma which result in micro trauma to soft tissue structures such as tendons, muscles ligaments as well as bones. The factors pertaining to these overuse injuries can be divided simply into: 1) Intrinsic causes; 2) Extrinsic causes.


Swing mechanic and alteration in technique on the quest for greater distance off the tee are probably the greatest causes of overuse injuries in the modern golfing population.

#### **4.1 Physics of a Golf swings**

The golf swing is a means of transferring energy to a stationary ball. The energy is transferred to the ball which then travels down the fairway.

The modern golf swing can be broken up into a number of components (**Figure 1**):


The function of the golf swing is to apply the face of the golf club in a consistent, stable and square fashion allowing force to be impacted onto the golf ball from the club face producing linear momentum which is transmitted to the ball. The force applied to the ball is a function of the mass of the object (golf club) and its velocity

*Leading Wrist Injuries in a Golfing Population. Golf Swing Biomechanics a Significant Cause… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96979*

**Figure 1.** *The phases of a golf swing.*

(mass × velocity = momentum). The rules of golf remove the first variable [the mass of the club), the second element has amused and exercised golf teachers and technologists for centuries.

At first look the conundrum of a golf swing appears simple. However, it involves a number of complex laws of physics:


In the first instance energy is transmitted from the golf club to the golf ball based on Newton's 3rd Law of Motion i.e. The Law of Action and Reaction.

One object exerts a force on a second object, the second object exerts an equal opposite force on the first object. As club hits ball it applies force causing it to go in motion. In return, the ball also applies a reciprocal and equal force back to the club. This force slows your club down. The interplay of these actions and reactions result in a golf ball flying towards a target. Not all the energy is transmitted to the ball, with some being diverted up the club to the wrist. This is further increased by imperfect or missed shots.

During a golf swing energy is transferred between both potential and kinetic. The back swing creates kinetic energy which is converted into stored or potential energy at the top of the swing and then converted back to kinetic energy on the down swing. This happens because of the law of conservation of energy.

#### *4.1.2 Energy transfer*

Potential Energy (PE) is stored energy. It is energy an object possesses due to its position or the arrangements of its parts. This potential or stored energy is created at the top of the golf swing.

Hence the higher the hands and the club head from the ball the greater the stored energy in the swing.

Kinetic Energy (KE) is energy that occurs when an object is in motion. This is the energy created by the golf club descending towards the golf ball.

$$\text{KE} = \text{1/2mass} \times \text{velocity squared.} \tag{2}$$

The Law of Conservation of Energy states that: Energy is neither created nor destroyed, it is conserved. Hence the back swing creates kinetic energy at the top of the swing. This is stored as Potential energy during the transition phase and then transferred back to kinetic energy on the down swing before it is transmitted to the golf ball at impact.
