Golf is a great hobby that comes with many great health benefits. Most golfers, both novice and professional, will at some point, experience a degree of back pain. Lower back pain is one of the most common symptoms from injuries, the highest most frequent occurring problem for a golfer. Many professional golfers have undergone back surgery to help with chronic pain. Besides the lower back, other areas of injury include the neck, shoulders, elbows wrists, knees and ankles. However, chiropractic care can help golfers with these injuries and not suffer the negative side effects of pain medication and surgery, and thus allowing the whole body to perform at its best.
The golf swing is a very athletic movement that involves the whole body. Swinging a club takes a lot of coordination between several body parts. This repetitive motion, whether it’s hitting buckets of balls, playing three times a week or once month, can cause physical stress and weaken the supportive elements of our musculoskeletal system. If one area of your body or one muscle
is not able to perform at its optimal level, it can cause other body parts to overcompensate.
One major issue that happens with any athlete, not just golfers, is that they go into the game with subluxations, or misalignments to the spine. These subluxations can be caused by everyday activities such as driving, gardening, work and other sports; anything that will put too much strain on your joints, ligaments and muscles.
Muscles provide active support for the the joints, movement and stability. Ligaments attach all of our bones together and tendons attach muscle to the bone providing passive support.
The nervous system is the control center of the body. The brain transmits to the spinal cord which then transmits messages from the brain to the rest of the body. In between the vertebrae, the nerve roots exit the spinal cord to send messages to the hands, arms, legs, etc. This allows you to swing the club and hit the desired shot.
Due to a number of variables, previous injuries, poor fitness, being overweight, we can be predisposed to injury. This, along with the repetitive nature of golf can cause injuries.
The back, specifically the lumbar spine, is the main structure that absorbs the majority of the force. Tight muscles, joints and back will, over time, weaken the structural integrity of the spine and cause the vertebrae to move into an inefficient bio mechanical position resulting in stiffness, muscular and nerve pain and a mechanically inefficient swing.
Whether you golf for fun or sport, you need to be fit to play. Exercise, core stability, and flexibility is key and having lessons with a PGA professional is highly advised.
Chiropractors have extensive training in the bio mechanics of human movement and will be able to identify the cause of the injury and treat it with the appropriate clinical techniques.
Together with a PGA teaching professional, you will have a dynamic team to help you with conditioning, core stability and cardiovascular exercises to highly improve your game.
Golf Vacation, Vol. 91
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