Golf is a billion dollar industry! It is the fastest growing sport with the most expensive equipment! An average golfer will spend approximately 4 days a week playing or practicing, another several hours watching golf shows, videos and read books to hit the ball a few extra yards. They will also spend another $1500-$2500 on clubs, irons, putters, shoes, balls and other golf related accessories in order to look, feel and play better, but in the past you really didn’t hear about them mentioning taking care of their bodies? You can do all the above but if you can’t rotate, keep your swing plane or even bend over without losing your balance all the equipment, lessons, books and videos are not going to help! It was just a few years ago that you heard about golfers starting to hit the gyms, get massages and even take yoga to get more flexible. Even the golf pro’s have their own golf fitness trainer that designs them a program that addresses their own specific issues. With all this being said, eventually just like any sport the body breaks down, and injuries will soon follow! Golf is a repetitious game, and many of the injuries that I see are overuse or trauma related. I am now going to discuss a few of the most common golf injuries and then how to address them.
Lets first look at the address position; most golfers that I have seen in my practice bend from the lower back and not from their hips, this is usually a result of having poor posture and through bad habits obtained during their lifetime either from their job (since most of us have desk jobs) or they are just so tight in the hips that they have developed a poor movement pattern because their low back is weak. Back injuries are number one on the list. If you aren’t bending correctly then you will not rotate, this in turn can cause the body to slide or do a reverse pivot which will lead to back problems. An effective exercise that you can try is place a 7 iron behind your back and place it on your spine, then as you bend forward don’t allow the iron to leave your spine, also think about bending at the hips by pushing your bottom away from you. The next phase is the backswing! Most people who can’t address the ball with good posture will tend to come out of their swing plane in order to get the club back far enough behind them. With reduced range of motion in the shoulders and hips the golfer will then slide or do a reverse pivot because they cant rotate. Stretching the hips, neck, shoulders and spine on a regular basis will help, along with finding an Active Release Practitioner and a good golf instructor is your best bet! The next phase is at impact! The wrist and elbow are the next common golf injuries and they usually will be involved in this phase. Early extension, leading with the arms and sliding can all occur resulting in overusing the wrist and elbows. Tendonitis (golfers elbow) tenosynovitis(usually involving the tendon sheath of the thumb) and sprains to the wrist (ligament damage) are all common form overuse. Prevention of these injuries involves working on your swingplane, flexibility and strength of your grip. Treatment involves working with a physical therapist who understands golf biomechanics or an Active Release Practitioner. Follow through or “finish” is the last phase! Your finish is the result of your backswing. it mirrors what you have previously done with your club or iron. Many people who don’t finish to the target usually aren’t rotating enough or at all. They will get to a certain point, and because of physical limitations or technique end up extending their spine backwards onto their back leg, this can result in a spinal condition called stenosis which is a narrowing of the spinal cord (pretty common in people over 55 who have played a lot of golf). Standing in one place bending backwards or even having a tough time walking are all possible signs of stenosis. Other problems like the club finishes over the shoulder, flipping the club or decelerating or even stopping the swing are indications of a physical issue usually involving the neck back or hips. Again working on your flexibility and technique are crucial if you are experiencing these problems. If you are getting tingling down your leg sometimes referred to as sciatica you should see your physician.
The bottom line with everything that I have addressed is to start taking better care of your body. If you are experiencing pain either during or after golf see your physician. If you are tight and can rotate or you cant complete you rounds because you are exhausted then see a good golf fitness professional. Think about getting regular massages or even try yoga or pilates. These are just suggestions. Now that I have got your attention get back on course by treating your body not by purchasing the next best thing that will give you 10 extra yards!
Note: All the information that I have written is for you to be better educated, please see your physician before doing any exercises that I have mentioned or before starting an exercise program.
