“By correcting poor posture, you can eliminate extra tension on the tissues and stress through your joints. Most injuries are merely poor mechanics that lead to stress on the joints and muscles, especially in a high force sport like golf.”
Golf is a challenging sport that can take its toll on the body. For many golfers, the sport’s psychological aspect is its main challenge – few place importance on the conditioning and biomechanics required for the game, which often leads to injury or poor performance.
Each swing requires an extreme amount of force equivalent to up to ten times a person’s body weight. This is the force exerted on the player’s spine. Every joint involved reaches its maximum range whenever a person swings a golf club. If the body is not capable of handling this type of force, injuries are sure to follow.
How playing golf can impact the body
One of the most common complaints among golfers is elbow pain. Players who have reported suffering from elbow pain are mostly amateurs who have not yet developed golf-specific flexibility. During the backswing, amateurs tend to bend the elbow then hyperextend it once they start the downswing.
Back pain is another common complaint, a byproduct from an inefficient golf swing generating too much tension on the back. About 80 percent or four out of five golfers have experienced various degrees of back pain after performing repetitive golf swings. When a golfer performs a swing over and over, they make themselves prone to suffering from muscle strains. If a golfer continues to play with misalignments to their spine, this can lead to poor posture and more injuries.
Other frequent complaints from golfers of all ages include neck, hip, and shoulder pain.
Chiropractic care
Chiropractic care is recognized as one of the safest and most effective solutions for golfers suffering from pain. Chiropractic adjustments can help enhance range of motion, increase flexibility, improve blood flow, and help reduce the possibility of injury, which makes it the perfect solution for golfers. According to Dr. Scott, an important aspect of chiropractic care for golfers in addition to adjustments is adding postural exercises. Dr. Scott says that “by correcting poor posture, you can eliminate extra tension on the tissues and stress through your joints. Most injuries are merely poor mechanics that lead to stress on the joints and muscles, especially in a high force sport like golf.”
Swinging a golf club requires coordination between various body parts – when one muscle or area of your body is unable to perform at an optimal level, it causes other parts to overcompensate, which results in pain. Chiropractic care is one of the most effective, drug-free solutions that can help the whole body perform optimally.
In addition, chiropractic treatments are also effective in minimizing irritation of nerve roots within the vertebrae, which is greatly affected by continuously performing a golf swing.
Routine chiropractic adjustments are very ideal for reducing strain due to repetitive motions, which can severely impact the body, especially if performed for several years.
Be in better shape for golf
While getting chiropractic treatment can help with golf-related pain or injuries, one thing players can do to avoid injuries before they even happen is to get themselves in better shape for the sport.
If you’re an avid golfer, you have to be serious about conditioning. Exercises that enhance and develop movement, functional strength, and bodyweight stability such as single leg deadlifts, kettle bell workouts, Turkish get-ups, and other similar movements can all help you become a better, more consistent golfer.
Opened more than 30-years ago by Dr. Ann Doggett, WholeBody Solutions is a holistic wellness center whose mission is to provide the community with safe, effective, and natural answers to health and wellness concerns. Our all-encompassing wellness center focuses on the following drug-free services: Nutrition, Chiropractic, Acupuncture, and Weight Loss. Our goal is quite simple – to make sick people well and to keep healthy people healthy. It’s that simple and that powerful.
