Rory to have MRI due to Back Injury

[saevel25]

http://www.pga.com/news/golf-buzz/rory-mcilroy-undergo-mri-back-injury?cid=pgacomsocial_fb_sf51059387

Lets hope it isn't anything serious.

[chilepepper]

I think we will see more of this from the younger pros......and less of them on the masters tour in years to come. 

[Yukari]

I wonder if it's due to his swing or his weight training...

Hope it's nothing serious.

[Hatchman]

I hope nothing serious that rest can't help.

[iacas]

He's had a bad back since he was 18 or 20.

The modern guy just goes at the ball pretty hard, and plenty often with the rounds they play and the practice they put in.

If they didn't work out they'd probably be injured even more often, so I think workouts are a net positive, but there's no denying that overdoing workouts, etc. can put a strain on the back too.

[jamo]

16 minutes ago, iacas said:

He's had a bad back since he was 18 or 20.

The modern guy just goes at the ball pretty hard, and plenty often with the rounds they play and the practice they put in.

If they didn't work out they'd probably be injured even more often, so I think workouts are a net positive, but there's no denying that overdoing workouts, etc. can put a strain on the back too.

Yup. 

He's had a bad back for a while. I'm not surprised it's flared up again. 

[jbishop15]

I remember hearing somewhere that he has a degenerative spine condition, and he puts in a lot of time at the gym in order to forestall it's development. Hope this isn't a sign of things to come. 

[Buckeyebowman]

You just have to cringe when you hear "back injury" and "Tour player" in the same sentence. It's almost like hearing "ACL injury" in football or basketball.

Iacas has a point in how hard these guys go at the ball and the cumulative wear and tear on a lot of their body parts. Not just backs, but shoulders, elbows, and wrists. I think Nicklaus has had one or both hips replaced.

I will say this. After playing in the TST outing at Eagle Creek last year I was able to see a couple of my swings on a video that Iacas shot and posted here. I was horrified to discover that I really did NOT make a backswing. Well, not much of one. My hands barely got above waist high! Hmmm, maybe that's where a lot of my distance went.

So, I spent the rest of the season working on actually making a backswing. On the plus side I actually hit the ball more solidly and gained back some yardage. On the minus side my lower back started to hurt after playing 18, and I've never had back problems in my life. Guess I need an exercise regimen.

Good luck to Rory.

[natureboy]

As most have probably seen it turned out to be a stress fracture in a rib.

The Dr. on Golf Channel said it's cut and dried a repetitive use injury. Not to do with weights (unless he does a lot of pull downs or seated rows?). I agree with most that the conditioning on Tour has generally helped players avoid injury (when not overdone).

Guys used to get injured too in the 'old days', but the big difference now seems to me to be a relative lack of a true off-season to rest. I think wear and tear is up because the season is more tightly packed with events than it used to be and longer to boot. Most guys play nearly every event they can to avoid falling behind on points. Even when not playing they train to stay sharp. It would wear anyone down, physically.

Also, more pros come up having played a lot of golf and pounded tons of balls from a very young age, which might put them in the 'wear and tear' zone earlier than in the past. 

Good article on the injury details:

http://www.golfdigest.com/story/a-fractured-rib-for-rory-mcilroy-means-he-should-shut-everything-down-for-at-least-a-month

 

Muscles involved (Serratus Anterior):

Somewhat similar injury in pitchers (different rib):

I hope he makes it back at least in time to play a bit before The Masters.

Edited January 18, 2017 by natureboy