FF - Your community magazine
Page 24 Prevention is always better that cure
As with so many health conditions, a little effort to prevent back injury and lower back pain goes a long way.
Article supplied by Kevin Thornton,
Telephone 966 765 686
Four key areas of prevention for the sport of golf include: warm-up, swing, bio-mechanics, and carrying the golf bag.
It’s important to warm-up before playing golf to prevent low back pain
First, start with stretching before beginning to play golf. Stretching should emphasise the shoulder, torso, and hip regions as well as the hamstring muscles.
lThe shoulder and torso may be stretched by holding a golf club behind the neck and shoulders and then rotating the torso. lThe hips maybe stretched by pulling the knees to the chest. lThe hamstrings maybe stretched by bending over and trying to slowly touch the toes.
Next, gently swinging a golf club helps warm up the necessary muscle groups and prepares them for the torque (force) and torsion (twisting) that a golf swing produces. Time permitting, going to the driving range before a golf game is very helpful.
Golf practice should begin with the smaller irons and progress up to the larger woods. This process allows the muscles to incrementally warm up.
Overall, muscles that have been stretched and gradually loaded are much less prone to being injured while playing golf, and can take more stress before either being strained or sprained.
As most golfers will agree, while developing an easy, fluid swing may be desirable in terms of reducing stress to the low back and preventing low back pain, this is often easier said than done. To avoid a low back injury, beginners would be well advised to work with a golf pro when starting out, since most aspects of a golf swing are not natural or intuitive. Additionally, golf lessons may be useful for senior golfers who have decreased flexibility and strength.
The force generated by a golf swing largely stresses the L5-S1 disc space because the joints at this segment allow considerable rotation. The other joints in the low back allow more flexion/extension, and not as much rotation, and are relatively protected. Young golfers also need to really concentrate on flexibility in the hamstrings, since this will allow more motion in the pelvis and help reduce stress to the L5-S1 disc space.
Its important to carry a golf bag safely to prevent low back pain. Repeated bending over to pick up a golf bag can stress the low back and lead to a muscle strain.
An integrated golf bag stand, that opens when the bag is set on the ground, can eliminate the need to bend over. Some individuals like to carry their own golf bag to get more exercise, and while this may be a good idea, bag straps that place all the pressure on one shoulder can be hard on the back.
It is advisable to use dual straps on the golf bag to evenly divide the weight across the back and reduce the chances of developing low back pain from an uneven load.
This article is for information purposes ONLY and should not be used as a diagnostic tool. Always consult with your medial adviser or G.P. on all medical matters. Should you require any further information, have any other question that you may want answered or would prefer a one to one FREE consultation then please contact Kevin 966 765 686 or 605 306 129 or email him on
physicaltherapyclinic@yahoo.com or
sitam66@yahoo.co.uk.
Female Focus
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