The common golf injuries that Mass General Brigham lists are lower back problems (strains, sprains and disk injuries), shoulder problems (rotator cuff tendinitis, bursitis, strains), elbow tendon problems (golfer's elbow on the inner side, tennis elbow on the outer side) and hip problems (bursitis and labral tears). Ordinary soreness after a round is different. The American College of Sports Medicine says delayed soreness usually starts 12 to 24 hours after activity, peaks between 24 and 72 hours, and should last only a few days. The NIH's NIAMS says severe pain, swelling or bruising, pain that does not go away after a few days, being unable to bear weight, or an obvious deformity are signs to get medical care.
This page describes and routes. It does not diagnose, and it does not offer a fix for any condition. A doctor or physical therapist who can examine you is the right judge of what you have.
When to See a Doctor: The Signs That Come First
Before the list of injuries, here is the part that answers the question most people are actually asking.
The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), part of the NIH, lists these signs on its sports injuries diagnosis and treatment page (read September 27, 2026) as reasons to get medical care:
- "Severe pain, swelling, or bruising."
- "Pain and swelling that do not go away after a few days."
- "Being unable to tolerate any weight on the area."
- "An obvious deformity."
The same NIAMS page adds: "You should not try to 'work through' the pain of an injury, regardless of whether it is an acute or overuse injury."
The American College of Sports Medicine's consumer brochure on delayed onset muscle soreness (2011), read the same day, adds its own threshold for ordinary soreness: "If the pain level becomes debilitating, if limbs experience heavy swelling or if urine becomes dark, then medical consultation is advisable." Dark urine appears on the CDC's NIOSH list for rhabdomyolysis, a serious muscle breakdown condition, as "abnormally dark (tea or cola-colored) urine," with the first aid line "seek immediate care at the nearest medical facility."
If any of those apply, the rest of this page is background reading for later.
Soreness vs Injury: How the Sources Draw the Line
Most golfers who search this are sore, not injured. The ACSM brochure is useful because it describes what normal soreness looks like, which makes the exceptions easier to spot.
What ordinary delayed soreness looks like, per ACSM:
- It follows "any type of activity that places unaccustomed loads on muscle." A first round of the season, a first walking round after riding, or an unusually long range session all fit that description.
- It "typically begins to develop 12-24 hours after the exercise" and "may produce the greatest pain between 24-72 hours."
- It can come with stiffness, tenderness to the touch, some swelling and a temporary drop in strength.
- It "should last only a few days (usually 3-5 days)."
What ACSM says is different:
- Acute soreness is "pain that develops during the actual activity." ACSM says pain during exercise "signals a problem with the exercise (too intense, bad form, etc.) and should be halted before muscle or joint damage occurs."
- Debilitating pain, heavy swelling or dark urine are its triggers for medical consultation.
Putting ACSM and NIAMS side by side gives a reasonable way to read your own situation, without either source diagnosing anything:
| Pattern | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| Aching muscles the day after a round, easing over a few days | Consistent with ACSM's description of delayed soreness |
| A sharp pain during a swing | ACSM: pain during activity signals a problem and the activity should be halted |
| Pain or swelling still there after a few days | NIAMS: a sign to get medical care |
| Cannot put weight on it, or it looks deformed | NIAMS: a sign to get medical care |
| Dark urine with heavy muscle pain | ACSM and NIOSH: seek medical care promptly |
The pain that is in a joint, not a muscle
ACSM's soreness brochure is about muscle. The golf injuries on the Mass General Brigham list are mostly about tendons, bursae, disks and cartilage: structures in and around joints. Pain that sits at a specific point on the elbow, the front of the shoulder or the side of the hip, rather than across a muscle, is outside what the DOMS description covers. That is a reason to have it examined rather than wait out a soreness timeline that was never meant for it.
Common Golf Injuries by Body Area
Mass General Brigham's common golf injuries page (read September 27, 2026) groups them by area. The descriptions below are its own.
Lower back
- Disk injury (herniated disk): "Tearing or bulging of a disk, a cushion of tissue between the vertebrae."
- Sprain or strain: "Stretching or tearing of a ligament, or an injury to a muscle in your back."
The lower back is the complaint most golfers recognize, and it gets its own page in this series because the question of whether it is "just golf" comes up so often.
Shoulder
- Bursitis: "Inflammation and swelling in the sac (bursa) that cushions your shoulder joint."
- Rotator cuff tendinitis or pinched rotator cuff: "Inflammation, rubbing, or pinching of the tendons."
- Sprain or strain: "Stretching or tearing of your shoulder ligaments, or an injury to your shoulder muscle."
Mass General Brigham specifically warns against ignoring shoulder pain, noting that "a pinched rotator cuff can eventually tear."
Elbow
- Golfer's elbow (medial epicondylitis): inflammation of elbow tendons causing pain on the inner part of the elbow.
- Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis): inflammation of elbow tendons causing pain on the outer part.
Despite the names, either can affect a golfer. The name describes where the pain is, not which sport caused it.
Hip
- Trochanteric bursitis: "Inflammation and swelling in the bursa on the outer part of the hip joint."
- Labral tissue problems: "Pinching, straining, or tearing of the cartilage that holds the hip joint together."
Other areas
Wrist and knee pain also come up among golfers, but the Mass General Brigham page we read does not list them, so we are not describing them here from that source. The NIAMS escalation signs above apply to any joint.
Why Golf Produces This Particular List
Golf is a repeated, one-directional rotation. The same swing, in the same direction, dozens or hundreds of times in a round or a range session. NIAMS separates sports injuries into acute injuries, which happen suddenly, and overuse injuries, which build over time, and its advice not to "work through" pain covers both. Most of the items on the Mass General Brigham list are the kind that can build gradually, which is why the question "is this normal?" is so common among golfers and so hard to answer from the inside.
That is also why the time pattern matters more than the intensity. ACSM describes delayed soreness as something that fades in a few days. NIAMS treats pain and swelling that do not go away after a few days as a reason for care. A pain that returns every round in the same spot does not fit the soreness pattern either source describes.
What Equipment Can and Cannot Do
Golfers often ask whether a lighter shaft, softer grip or different club will make a painful joint better. This site covers equipment specs in detail, including our explainer on shaft weight vs flex, but no equipment change is a treatment for a medical condition, and we do not present it as one. A club fitter measures how clubs suit your swing, as described in our step-by-step guide to what happens at a golf club fitting. A fitter is not a clinician. If a joint hurts, the order is a medical assessment first, and any equipment question after that, ideally with the clinician's input.
Who to See
For most of the injuries above, a primary care doctor is a reasonable first stop, and they can refer to a sports medicine physician, orthopedic specialist or physical therapist. NIAMS notes that serious sports injuries are often first seen by emergency physicians. For the specific signs NIAMS lists, such as an obvious deformity or being unable to bear weight, urgent care or an emergency department is the faster route.
FAQ
What are the most common golf injuries?
Mass General Brigham lists lower back strains, sprains and disk injuries; shoulder bursitis, rotator cuff tendinitis and strains; golfer's elbow and tennis elbow; and hip bursitis and labral tears.
Is it normal to be sore after a round of golf?
The ACSM describes delayed muscle soreness after unaccustomed activity that starts 12 to 24 hours later, peaks at 24 to 72 hours and usually lasts 3 to 5 days. Pain outside that pattern is worth having checked.
When should I see a doctor for golf pain?
NIAMS lists severe pain, swelling or bruising, pain and swelling that do not go away after a few days, being unable to bear weight, and an obvious deformity. ACSM adds debilitating pain, heavy swelling or dark urine.
Should I play through golf pain?
NIAMS says you should not try to "work through" the pain of an injury, whether it is acute or from overuse. ACSM says pain during activity signals a problem and the activity should be halted.
Can new clubs fix a golf injury?
We do not present any equipment change as a treatment. A clinician should assess the pain first; equipment questions come after.