ptspin
By Scott Higgs
Dust off the clubs
... and the body
The offseason of golf is almost over which
means this is the point in the year where we see
many of our clients suffer injuries due to the
eagerness to get back into the sport too quick.
The muscles in the body are tight because they
have not been worked on a regular basis.
Muscles should be conditioned prior to playing
every round, especially the first one back. Since
we have had an especially cold winter for our
area, the golf clubs may have gotten pushed way
back in the garage. We certainly think it’s time
to take them out and check the grips and clean
them up, but we don’t want players to start using
them until they have warmed up their bodies as
well. Starting back without readying the muscles
and joints could result in serious injury.
Injuries commonly occur because players are
not performing to their games as expected when
returning, so they tend to hit an excess of shots on
the range or in the round. The expected results
of the first few rounds should be much lower to
allow the body a few rounds to accommodate to
the conditioning of a round of golf, rather than
trying to force the body to quickly play better.
Range time is excellent for the body. Getting
prepared and stretching before range time is
even better. Prior to hitting on the range, players
should simulate free swings from a right and left
handed swing. The lighter versions of the golf
game should be practiced first, meaning that
chipping and putting should always come before
driving.
Walking is another great way to condition the
body and will help with soreness after the rounds.
Th ese activities can be started 2-4 weeks prior to
hitting a golf ball to maximize effectiveness.
Flexibility is key to preventing injury.
Theraband is a great tool to use in stretching the
main upper elements that are used in a golf swing
(shoulders, wrists, chest, back). The core and
lower parts of the body are also very important,
so exercises such as pelvic tilt, brace heel slides,
brace knee fall out, and bridging, etc.
Butch Marchinko is a 67 year old man with
recent back surgery and maintains his health
by stretching daily, going to Ponchatoula
Therapy for dry needling, and playing a lot of
golf. Marchinko said, “I could not walk prior
to my back surgery, and I was somewhere in
the neighborhood of 80-85 percent pain at that
time. Now, I am around 20 percent. Marchinko
used to rely on medication to keep the pain away
but now uses none.
Golf is a great sport that keeps many patients
healthy, but rushing into the sport is not good for
the body. The cold weather can present many
risk factors in a non contact sport. Make sure
to take warm showers to refresh the muscles in
the body and change your grips to keep those
annoying blisters away in the upcoming season.
Just a few extra steps will help prepare for the
upcoming spring golf season. Most of us aren’t
professionals, and we took the winter off. The
clubs have collected dust over the winter, and our
bodies have as well. Time to slowly wake up.
Scott Higgs, MPT
Physical Therapist
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