Disc Golf Injuries: Shoulder, Elbow, Knee, Ticks and Prevention

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Hole 7 at the local park course, a long wooded fairway. You take three quick steps, reach back as far as you can and rip a driver toward the gap, and something pinches in the back of your shoulder. You finish the round, but the next morning you can’t reach the top shelf without wincing. Disc golf is one of the gentlest sports you can play: no tackles, no sprints, a walk in the park with friends. But every drive is a hard, fast throw, and a keen player can make hundreds of them a week. This page covers the disc golf injuries that keep showing up (shoulder, elbow, wrist, back, knee and ankle), the hazards of wooded courses (heat, ticks, poison ivy and flying discs), what helps prevent them, and when to see a professional.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you’re hurt, see a sports medicine doctor, physical therapist (PT) or certified athletic trainer (AT). For the bigger picture, start at our disc golf hub.

What the research says (and doesn’t)

Honest answer first: there isn’t much research on disc golf injuries. The two main studies are both online surveys. In the larger one, published in 2015, 883 players answered a survey posted on the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) website. 81.8% said they had been hurt playing disc golf at some point. The elbow was the most common area (46.0% of injured players), then the shoulder (43.1%), back (30.8%), knee (28.1%) and ankle (21.2%). The most common problems were muscle strains, sprains and tendinitis. Most of the worst injuries built up gradually from repetition (57.4%), and 29.4% happened during a single throw or step. Players who mainly threw forehand (sidearm) were more likely to report an elbow injury than backhand throwers.

Keep that 81.8% in context: the authors point out that injured players may have been more likely to answer. A smaller Danish survey of 105 players found 13.3% had an injury at the time they answered, mostly in the shoulder (31%) and elbow (20%), and 93% of those came on gradually. The pattern in both is the same: disc golf injuries are mostly overuse injuries of the throwing arm, with the back, knee and ankle next.

Throwing-arm injuries: shoulder, elbow and wrist

Shoulder

A big backhand drive pulls the arm hard across the body and then decelerates it in a split second. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) describes shoulder impingement and rotator cuff tendinitis as pain and stiffness when you lift your arm or reach overhead, often with pain at night, and later loss of strength and motion. Rest, a change in activity and a physical therapy program of stretching and strengthening help most people. In the 2015 survey, rotator cuff and other shoulder surgery was among the most common operations players reported, so don’t ignore a shoulder that hurts every round.

Elbow

The elbow topped the survey, and forehand throwers reported more elbow injuries. Two overuse problems are common in throwing and gripping sports: tennis elbow (pain or burning on the outside of the elbow and a weak grip) and golfer’s elbow (pain on the inside of the elbow that can shoot toward the hand). AAOS says 80 to 95% of people with tennis elbow do well without surgery, with rest, physical therapy and a counterforce brace among the options. Numbness or tingling in the ring and little fingers points to the ulnar nerve and needs a doctor. One honest caution: a 2025 case report described a stress injury of the forearm bone (ulna) in a recreational disc golfer, so deep forearm pain that gets worse with every throw also needs a look.

Wrist and hand

The wrist snaps at release on every throw, so wrist tendinitis is mostly overuse, like the elbow. Hands also catch bark and branches: a 2026 case report described a disc golfer’s small hand cut that hid debris lodged in the bone. See a doctor if a cut gets red, hot, swollen or more painful.

Low back and knee: the run-up and the plant

Power in a drive comes from the run-up (the X-step), a hard plant on the front foot and a fast rotation of the hips and trunk. That’s the same twist-on-a-planted-foot that AAOS names as the classic way to tear a meniscus: a pop, then pain, swelling and stiffness, catching or locking, or a knee that gives way. Meniscus surgery was one of the two most common operations in the 2015 survey. The back takes that rotation every drive, plus bending to pick up discs dozens of times a round; 30.8% of injured players reported back injuries. Low back pain that runs down a leg, or comes with numbness or weakness, needs a doctor.

Ankle sprains on rough terrain

Roots, rocks, slick tee pads, steep hillsides and hunting for a disc in the rough: disc golf courses are full of places to roll an ankle. AAOS describes a sprain as ligaments stretched past their limit, with pain, swelling, bruising and an ankle that “gives out”. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) says the most consistent risk factor for a sprain is a previous sprain, recommends balance training, and suggests a brace or tape for people who have sprained an ankle before. A lace-up brace such as the ASO EVO Ankle Stabilizer fits in most hiking shoes. Good grip matters too: the PDGA rules allow knee and ankle braces in competition. If you can’t put weight on the ankle, get it checked for a fracture.

Heat, ticks and poison ivy on wooded courses

Heat

A summer tournament can mean two rounds in full sun. The CDC lists heat exhaustion signs as headache, nausea, dizziness, weakness and heavy sweating: get into shade, cool your head and neck with cold water, sip water and get checked. Heat stroke is an emergency (confusion, slurred speech, passing out, very high body temperature): call 911 and cool the person right away with cold water or ice. NATA’s rule is “cool first, transport second”. Our Round Day page covers water and pacing.

Ticks

The CDC says ticks live in grassy, brushy or wooded areas, which describes the rough on half the courses in the country. Its advice: use an EPA-registered repellent such as DEET or picaridin (like Sawyer 20% Picaridin lotion), treat clothes and shoes with 0.5% permethrin (like Sawyer Permethrin, for clothing and gear only, never skin), shower within two hours of coming in, dry clothes on high heat for at least 10 minutes and check your body, including under the arms, around the ears, the belly button and between the legs. To remove a tick, grasp it close to the skin with fine-tipped tweezers and pull up with steady, even pressure; don’t twist or jerk it. See a doctor if you get a rash or fever within several weeks of a bite.

Poison ivy, oak and sumac

Your disc always lands in the one patch of leaves you didn’t want to walk into. The rash comes from urushiol, a plant oil; the CDC says an amount smaller than a grain of salt causes a rash in 80 to 90% of adults, and the oil can stay active on objects for up to 5 years. That includes your discs, bag, towel and shoes. Wear long pants in the rough, rinse skin right away with rubbing alcohol, a poison-plant wash like Tecnu Original, or dish soap and water, and wash clothes separately in hot water. Wipe down discs with rubbing alcohol or soap and lots of water. Seek emergency care for trouble breathing, a rash on the face, eyes or genitals, or a history of severe reactions.

Being hit by a disc

Many courses share a park with walkers, kids and dogs. In a lab study, eight golf discs fired at a crash-test head form at 40 and 60 mph gave readings linked to a less than 10% likelihood of concussion; that’s a lab estimate, not a promise, and eyes and faces are easy to hurt. The PDGA rules are clear: a player must not throw if the throw might injure someone, and shouting is allowed to warn someone at risk of being struck. The PDGA’s Disc Golfer’s Code says: “Never throw into a blind area or when players, spectators, pedestrians, or other facility users are within range. Use a spotter.” Yell “Fore!” early, and if someone is hit in the head and seems dazed, confused or sick, follow the CDC HEADS UP rule: stop play for the day and get them checked. Call 911 for danger signs such as worsening headache, repeated vomiting, slurred speech or loss of consciousness.

Prevention that makes sense

• Warm up before you drive. A few minutes of brisk walking, arm circles, trunk rotations and easy putts and approach throws, then a few half-power drives before the full ones.
• Build volume slowly. Most injuries in the surveys came on gradually. Don’t go from one round a week to fieldwork every day.
• Strengthen the shoulder and trunk. AAOS’s free rotator cuff and shoulder conditioning program, done with resistance bands, is a good template; ask a PT if you’re already hurting. Details are on our disc golf training page.
• Get your form checked. Muscling the disc with the arm instead of using the legs and hips loads the shoulder and elbow; a coach or a filmed practice session helps. If your elbow hurts, the 2015 survey hints that leaning on the backhand more than the forehand may help.

Gear many disc golfers keep in the bag

None of these prevent injury on their own, and a strap or brace isn’t a substitute for rehab, so ask your PT or athletic trainer what fits. Many players carry a counterforce strap like the Cho-Pat Golfer’s Elbow Strap for an irritated inner elbow, a resistance band set like Bodylastics for shoulder work at home, and the tick and poison-ivy basics above.

When to see a sports medicine doctor, PT or athletic trainer

• Right away (call 911): signs of heat stroke, a head injury with danger signs, trouble breathing after contact with plants, a possible broken bone or a joint that looks out of place.
• Within a day or two: a knee that popped and swelled or locks, an ankle you can’t walk on, a cut that looks infected, numbness or tingling in the fingers.
• Soon: shoulder or elbow pain that comes back every round, night pain, a weaker grip, back pain running down a leg, or a rash or fever in the weeks after a tick bite.

In the 2015 survey, 32% of players got no treatment for their most serious injury. Overuse pain caught early is usually easier to sort out. When you’re cleared, come back with putting and short approaches before full drives; see our disc golf recovery page. Ball golfers face similar problems; see our golf injuries page, and for hiking-style trail hazards our hiking injuries page.

Disc golf injuries: FAQs

What is the most common disc golf injury?

Throwing-arm overuse injuries. In the largest survey (883 players), the elbow was the most commonly injured area, followed closely by the shoulder, then the back, knee and ankle. Strains, sprains and tendinitis were the most common problems.

Is forehand worse for your elbow than backhand?

In that survey, players who mainly threw forehand were more likely to report an elbow injury. It’s one survey, not proof that forehand causes injury, but if your elbow is sore it’s reasonable to throw more backhands and ask a PT or coach to look at your form.

Can a disc golf disc give you a concussion?

A lab study estimated a low concussion likelihood from disc strikes at 40 to 60 mph, but people do get hurt, especially in the face and eyes. Treat any head hit seriously: if someone seems dazed, confused or sick, stop for the day and have them checked, and call 911 for danger signs.

How do I avoid ticks and poison ivy on a disc golf course?

Use an EPA-registered repellent on skin, treat clothes and shoes with permethrin, wear long pants when you go into the rough, shower within two hours and do a tick check. Wash skin, clothes and discs that touched poison ivy as soon as you can.