07 Feb How Chiropractic Care Can Relieve Golf Injuries and Improve Performance
Contrary to widespread belief, chiropractic care isn’t just for pain relief alone. Through chiropractic adjustments, one can realign their body so they can enjoy wider ranges of motion, increased flexibility, enhanced coordination, and improved balance. As you can see, all of these aspects resulting from chiropractic care can have serious implications for your golf game.
Although this might be news for you, all of this information has been known amongst elite golfers for over twenty years! In fact, Tom LaFountain, a member of the PGA Tour Sports Medicine Staff and Director of Chiropractic Services, has been contracted along with his team to provide chiropractic care to PGA players since 1997!
LaFountain’s care has had many professional golfers, including Tiger Woods, David Toms, Phil Mickelson, and more, accrediting him for their success throughout the course of their careers.
LaFountain’s use of chiropractic techniques isn’t anecdotal either; it’s backed up by science. One study published by the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine examined 43 golfers in Sao Paulo, Brazil with similar ages and skill levels to test their full swing maneuvers.
Each person made three full swing motions and the distances that they were able to drive the ball were measured and averaged out.
Afterwards, the 43 golfers were divided into two groups. One group was instructed to perform specific daily stretches while the other group received chiropractic care on top of daily stretching.
Throughout the course of four weeks, the two groups were observed performing their three full swing maneuvers before and after their instructed regimens.
After the study was concluded, the group that received chiropractic care on top of stretching saw remarkably improved full swing performance, whereas the group who only stretched didn’t see any improvement.
Chiropractic Care and Injury Prevention
For golfers who enjoy the sport enough to make it a part of their weekly routine, you might not feel that it’s necessary to see a chiropractor if you’re only playing for enjoyment. But even with minimal play, you can still experience a wide range of discomfort throughout your body even after a single golf outing.
Without taking precautions or remedying known issues, it can become unbearable to enjoy your favorite pastimes. No one wants to be told they can’t participate in what makes them happy, so it’s important to understand how one can enjoy golf without worry of injuries or aching pains.
Luckily for you, chiropractic care has all the answers for any issues that you might encounter on or off the course.
To help you understand how chiropractic care can prevent injuries, we need to take a look at the motions that are performed during a game of golf. In other sports, the motions that players make have some variances depending on specific situations.
But for golf, players make almost the exact same motions over and over again. These repeated maneuvers are all one-sided, meaning that your dominant side faces higher chances of pain and injury.
Over time, these motions put a lot of strain on your spine and other areas of your body, which can worsen quickly since casual players might not use the best swing mechanics or proper technique with every stroke.
Improper practices set up golfers for injuries time and time again. Without proper form, simple swings can eventually tear your muscles, ligaments, and discs to the point of chronic injury.
If you enjoy golf on a regular basis, then you’ve probably experienced chronic pain in some form or another, typically in the form of lower back pain. One study from the Asian Journal of Sports Medicine states that “lower back pain from golf account[s] for between 18% and 54% of all documented ailments.”
How To Gain The Upper Hand
Being a player without professional training or dedicated sports physicians shouldn’t stop you from enjoying your weekend outings. With adjustments and evaluations to determine what parts of your body encounter strain during play, chiropractors not only can alleviate discomfort, but they can improve your game as well!
Chiropractors aren’t just experts at adjusting your back and other parts of your body either. They’re knowledgeable of the best practices, stretches, and strength building exercises to help you prevent injuries from emerging in the first place.
If you’re looking for pain relief, or just want to take your golf skills to the next level, schedule a chiropractic appointment today! With gentle, non-invasive techniques designed to alleviate pain and realign your body, you can look forward to golfing every weekend at the top of your game!