Golf strains the hands, wrists, elbows, knees & back.
No matter what condition you are in, or the way you swing when you play, you will be straining and causing trauma to your hands, wrists, elbows, knees and back.
60 percent of all golfers will suffer at least one serious golf-related back injury over their playing years. Most of those injuries will occur to golfers over 50. The most common injury location is the lower back. Even without severe injury, 4 out of 5 golfers report low back pain after playing.
Injury Potential:
· 18 holes, with an average of 5 strokes per hole = 90 strokes.
· Add 2 practice swings per strike = 270 swings per round!
· That’s 270 possible traumas or strains each round!
Golf, being a unilateral sport, increases the chances of injury significantly. There are 3 basic types of injuries that occur while playing golf:
1. Sprains
2. Strains
3. Blockages
Tips To Reduce Injuries
Pre-Game Warm Up Only half of all golfers surveyed do any warm-up at all. None of the golfers surveyed did any aerobics before playing. Most do only a few “practice swings.” Only 1 in 10 do stretches
Aerobic Warm Up
5 minutes of aerobic exercise:
Running in place
Brisk walk around the parking lot
Jumping jacks
Stretching Warm Up
10 minutes of stretches
Neck range of motion
Upper chest & back
Side to side back
Toe touch
Lunges
To prevent injury, do 20 minutes of practice swings:
Wedge to woods
Half swing to full
Think smooth contact, not distance
Your Golf Swing
There are two types of swings:
The Modern & The Classic
The Modern swing has you address the ball with the ball more towards the middle of your stance. You swing the club using the torso to turn over your hips. This creates the X-Factor: The coiling of the torso over the hips causing a strong torque in the lumbar spine! In the Modern swing, your finish is in a reversed letter C posture. Most pros use this method. However, because of the torque forces, it is the most destructive to the joints of the body.
The other swing is called the Classic swing. In this swing the hips and shoulders turn equally in the backswing and the follow-through. The finish position is much straighter, not as twisted as in the Modern swing, and you end in a more upright or straight posture with less torque!
For the amateur golfer, I recommend the Classic swing. Remember: without proper warm up – even with this swing – you can still get injured.
It is estimated that over 30 million Americans suffer from some sort of chronic pain due to back and neck problems, headaches, arthritis and other medical conditions.
Acupuncture is a relatively low cost method of treating chronic pain that is gaining popularity in the United States.
It’s a natural healing process that improves body function. Acupuncture is based on the fact that the body needs the proper flow of blood to the organs and the tissues to be well.
If you tried to water a garden with a hose that had a kink or blockage that prevented water from getting through, then the plants in that garden would die. That vital flow of water could not reach the plants. In the same way, if there is a block in the flow of blood to areas of injury in your body, removing the block would allow the blood to return and help healing to occur.
Acupuncturist Sylvie Morin , Doctor of Oriental Medicine is trained to determine where the blood stagnation or blockages can occur. Acupuncture is a method of encouraging the body to promote natural healing and improve function. This is done by inserting sterilized, stainless-steel needles (that are as fine as a human hair) into specific points located near or on the surface of the skin which have the ability to remove the blocks and allow healing and pain relief to occur.
To Schedule your FREE Consultation,
Please Call 321.259.0555
