Summer is in “full swing.” With vacation trips planned and making the most of these long summer days, many Ascent patients are spending more time on the golf course.
Golf is one of the fastest growing sports in North America, according to Lightspeed Commerce, which does data management for golf courses. Their 2023 report found that there were 9.6 percent more rounds of golf played in North America in 2022 versus the previous year. That includes a 7.5 percent increase in Canada.
An increased number of rounds, while enjoyable, also means increased strain on your body. Due to this increased strain, many of our golfing patients were dealing with nagging injuries during last season. One of the most common of these conditions we encounter in clinic is lower back pain (LBP). In fact, LBP is one of the most common musculoskeletal problems reported by recreational and professional golfers.[1]
During the golf swing, the lumbar spine experiences significant compressive, AP shearing, torsional, and lateral bending forces. When combined, these forces can lead to disc herniation.
Movements involving axial rotation and twisting, are at increased risk for low back disorders.[2] And research has found a significant correlation between a history of LBP with decreased lead hip internal rotation, and lumbar extension in golfers. Thus, improving mobility in these areas can reduce the occurrence of such injuries.[3]
The Golf swing is a ballistic movement, done repetitively. Given this, it is even more important to build the prerequisite joint and tissue resilience to deal with large rates of force production, and repetitive strain.
At this point, you may be asking: “What’s the best way to avoid injury, and prepare my body for this upcoming golf season?”
Get Assessed!
At Ascent Health & Sport Therapy, Dr. Ryan Boyd offers “The Golf Medical Assessment.” This assessment is comprised of the Titleist Performance Institute functional movement screen, as well as mobility testing specific to what is needed for the golf swing. The goal of the assessment is to find any major physical limitations which may be inhibiting a repeatable swing, or potentially precipitating injury. The results of the screen are reviewed, and a specific plan is made to address these limitations through rehabilitation exercises, and potentially treatment. The screen results can also be correlated with video of the player’s swing (or, optimally, Dr. Boyd can collaborate with the player’s swing coach); this added step can allow for even more specific rehabilitation prescription, directly affecting that player’s swing.
Throughout the Golf Medical Rehabilitation process, the player will be reassessed, progress will be tracked, exercises will be fine-tuned, and exercise progressions will be issued.
The Golf Medical Assessment Can Improve Your Body For Golf:
- Identify & Remove Physical Body Limitations
- Reduce Injuries by building joint & tissue resilience
- Increase the longevity of your game so that you can play for years to come
- Increase Distance
- Improve Performance
For more information, check out: https://ascent.health/services/golf-assessments/
Works cited: 1.Smith et al. 2018 2. Hosea et al. 1996 3. Vad et al. 2004