Golf: injury prevention

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If you play golf then it can be frustrating when you get injured!

Guess what area of the body is the most commonly injured?

....The lower back!!!

It is estimated that lower back pain accounts for 26-52% of golf-specific injuries. This isn't just confined to amateurs either: -

Interestingly 30% of touring professional golfers play injured at any one time.

Forces On the Spine During a Golf Swing:
Trunk twisting is a major factor for Low Back Pain and is integral during the golf swing. The combination of compression, torsion and lateral bending are known risk factors for spinal disc herniations (slipped disc).

During a golf swing the lumbar spine can sustain compressive loads of up to 8 times body
weight
(about 6100N in amateurs and 7584N in professional golfers).
In comparison, cadaveric studies indicate that disc herniations can occur at 5800N of force.

This is less than the golf swing forces in both amateurs and professionals! So no wonder why the back problems occur!

A golf swing can also produce more shear force than was found to cause a spinal fracture in studies.

The Modern swing:
•
The modern golf swing emphasizes a greater shoulder turn and minimal hip turn.
The front foot is kept planted on the ground during swing to minimize hip turn.
Thought to increase the chances of hitting the ball with a square club face.
This swing can cause increased trunk lateral bending (known as the “crunch factor”) and exaggerated hyperextension of the low back on follow-through.

The Classic Swing:
Reduces shoulder turn by raising the front heel during backswing and increases hip turn.
Reduces shoulder to hip turn, thereby reducing torque on the lumbar spine.
Emphasizes a balanced upright form that also serves to reduce “crunch factor”.
Is not thought to decrease club head velocity (power) or ball contact accuracy.

So the classic swing is better for injury prevention!
•
Few swings are perfect. Some of the best golfers utilize strategies to increase power that may lead to
injuries.
•
One study showed that golfers with low back pain consistently exceed their trunk rotation during a
golf swing.
•
Another study indicated that 55% of golfers had low back pain and that those with low back pain had significantly more “trailing-side” vertebral body and facet joint arthritis
Other common golf injuries include: Golfer’s elbow, wrist fractures, tendonitis around the thumb, rotator cuff and knee injuries.

The difference between professionals and amateurs!
•
Professionals practice constantly with a consistent swing, leading to overuse injuries.
•
Amateurs do not practice nearly as often and demonstrate multiple inconsistencies in their swing, leading to injuries resulting from poor mechanics.

What can i do to help reduce my risk?


Excellent core stability will reduce the detrimental forces through the spine.
•
Strong gluteus maximus (buttock muscle) will stabilize the hip during a swing and increase power generation.
•
Decreased lead hip flexibility is associated with low back pain.
•
Have regular massage and get assessed by a Physiotherapist to check your flexibility and strength. 
•
•
Make sure that you warm-up before playing

Happy Golfing!!!


Comments

  1. Stranger15 May 2020 at 00:44

    There was a time in my youth when I felt immortal.

    I was strong. Healthy. Full of life.

    Maybe like you, I felt like I could conquer the world.

    Every day I'd wake up, bursting with energy. Feeling unstoppable.

    I'd go out and exercise full out. Or put in a long day at work. Or go on a weekend adventure with friends to the mountains.

    And at the end of the day? I'd still feel REALLY good.

    Tired, but in a good, relaxing, "hit the sack" kinda way.

    Until one day, it happened.

    I was getting out of the car and for some reason, I twisted my back.

    It immediately seized up. Hunched over with hand on my hip, my muscles spasmed as if to protect it.

    The pain was sharp. Deep. Crippling.

    That was a day I'll never forget. That was the day I realized... I was human.

    Getting out of the car was something I'd done a thousand times before. Why did it happen THAT day, I wondered?

    I've replayed it a thousand times in my head, but I'll never know.

    What I do know is that day set off a chain reaction of events.

    Over the years, more unexpected bouts of pain. Days and even weeks off work.

    Make-you-feel-like-a-zombie pain pills.

    Physical therapy. Alternative therapy. Chiropractic.

    Days of "bed rest" watching Jerry Springer.

    Oh, I hated that term "bed rest." It's so not me.

    Ever since that fateful day, every so often out of the blue, I'll tweak my back again and relive that fateful day as well as the weeks afterward, nursing it back to health.

    Until recently.

    While I was experiencing my most recent painful bout, one of my business partners took pity and shared with me a wonderful natural method that not only relieves back pain in less than 20 minutes, but there's a strong likelihood you'll never have to deal with it again.

    Imagine that!

    I tried it and amazingly, it worked! Within just a few minutes, my back magically "unlocked." The relief was like a warm south Pacific wave, relaxing every muscle in my body.

    After wasting thousands of dollars on useless remedies, days and weeks off work, I was FINALLY FREE from pain.

    I'll be honest. As I've grown older, my experience with back pain has humbled me. When I look at it the right way, maybe it WAS a good thing, because I no longer take my health and body for granted.

    But the great thing is I'm back doing the things I love. Without giving second thought to whether my back will "go out." With this unique method, it's been months since I've experienced even the smallest inkling of pain...

    ==>Back Pain Relief 4 Life

    All I can say I wish I'd know about this method sooner. But I thank my lucky stars I found it when I did.

    To your health,



    ReplyDelete

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