Knee Knocker

Is golf bad for the knees?
Knee injuries are actually not common in golf. In fact, only 4 to 8 percent of all golf injuries occur to the knees, and quite often there is an existing knee problem that gets irritated by the swing, as we likely have witnessed with Tiger. One lesson we can all learn from this is to not ignore nagging aches and imbalances, since over time and countless golf swings, they may lead to more serious injuries. While not all injuries can be prevented, keeping your muscles and joints strong and flexible can certainly help, as can having a professional assess your swing to make sure that you’re not putting any undue stress on one particular area of your body.
Thankfully, Tiger’s doctors feel “it is highly unlikely that he will have any long-term effects as it relates to his career” after his surgery. ACL reconstruction is actually quite a common procedure now, especially with more and more people participating in sports. With the proper rehabilitation, most people can expect to return to playing sports at their pre-injury level within six to twelve months.
It’s a long road ahead for Tiger, but we know that he has the work ethic and determination to get back to form, and nobody would be surprised if he came back even better!

ACL Facts:
- In the US, over 100,000 ACL reconstruction surgeries are performed annually
- -The long-term success rate after ACL surgery is 82-95%, depending on many factors
- ACL reconstruction surgery involves replacing the torn ligament with a graft (either part of the person’s own hamstring or patellar tendon, or using donor tissue). It is usually an arthroscopic surgery that takes about 2 hours
- The rehabilitation process takes about 6 to 12 months, starting with regaining range of motion, then building strength, endurance, coordination, and sport-specific skills and power
- Women have higher rates of ACL injury than men due to the effect of hormones and gender differences in the alignment of their pelvis and knees