As peak season for golfing ramps back up this September, Roper PT wants to help our golfers stay ahead of the game! By focusing on body maintenance and injury prevention, our PTs can help ensure you are at your best. Whether you’ve had an injury in the past or not, Myofascial Release can help you remain healthy as well as improve your swing and overall game. The leading complaint of golfers is low-back pain due to the mechanics of the golf swing and the stresses it places on your back.1 The amount of spinal and hip rotation are two major components to focus on when preventing low-back injuries. An impairment in either or both areas leads to increased demand on the low back. A typical golf swing requires a neutral pelvis with thoracic (upper to mid-back) rotation providing the force.1 When the spinal rotation exceeds what you could produce in a slow, controlled setting, injury risk is heightened.2
As physical therapists and Myofascial Release practitioners, part of what we do at Roper PT is assess how much range of motion you have available in both an active and passive manner, and find your specific areas of Myofascial restrictions. Through Myofascial Release, our PTs can release these areas or lines of restriction within the fascia, which can open up your range of motion, allowing for improved mechanics of your golf swing. The second part to improving range is to ensure that you can use that range efficiently and safely, which is where spinal and core stability come into play. Research shows that golfers who were experiencing low back pain had decreased endurance of the transversus abdominis, our deepest core muscle which serves to stabilize the spine.3 Learning how to recruit this muscle, and improve its strength and endurance, is a foundation of Medical Therapeutic Yoga, which we use in conjunction with Myofascial Release at Roper PT. Improving hip internal rotation, especially that of the lead leg, also decreases the stress placed on the low back. Using our combination of Myofascial Release with Medical Therapeutic Yoga, Roper PT can help you get prepared for the beautiful Fall season ahead!
Contact Roper Physical Therapy to speak with one of our PTs and make an appointment today! Call us @ (980) 298-6706 or Email us @ [email protected]
References:
- Cole MH, Grimshaw PN. The biomechanics of the modern golf swing: implications for lower back injuries. Sports Med.2016;46(3):339-51.
- Lindsay DM, VAndervoort AA. Golf-related low back pain: a review of causative factors and prevention strategies. Asian J Sports Med.2014;5(4):e24280.
- Evans C, Oldreive W. A study to investigate whether golfers with a history of low back pain show a reduced endurance of transverse abdominis. J Man Manip Ther. 2000;8:162–74.