Wednesday, January 12, 2011

GOLF INJURIES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM


GOLF INJURIES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM
HOLLYWOOD, California - Reminiscing about my old “conventional” golf swing…. I consider myself lucky not to have done a great deal of permanent damage to my body. How did my feet, knees, hips and back hold up under the stress of almost daily punishment? As everyone knows, the golf swing that most of us do is a series of unnatural movements requiring both balance and the proper firing order. When one part of the golf swing goes awry, other parts rush in to try and save the day. When all is said and done, the result for many of us is aches, pains, sprains and worse. Aggravating existing conditions such as arthritis, bursitis or tendonitis is no picnic.

In the golf swing, whether it is a conventional swing learned through golf lessons or the OVER THE TOP GOLF swing, your feet are your foundation. The mechanics of foot action during the conventional golf swing begin by creating movement away from the intended target. After the rotation of the torso, during the follow-through, foot pressure shifts forward to the outside of the leading foot. Ankle sprains, injuries to the small bones of the feet as well as the occurrence of blisters may present themselves as a result of improper swing mechanics. Use of ill-fitting orthotics also have adverse effects including impaired balance and increased pressure on the feet. Bad footwork and bad shoes are a formula for disaster on the golf course. Best case scenario: your feet will start hurting after twelve or thirteen holes. Worst case scenario: you don’t want to know.

The conventional golf swing also exerts pressure on your knees resulting in torn ligaments and sprains. Common remedies for knee pain range from ice to Cortisone injections to arthroscopic surgery. The use of a knee brace is sometimes helpful as is a good stretching regimen before and after practice and play.

The hips and lower back, as a result of the repeated rotational twisting during a conventional golf swing, are where most golf injuries occur. Disc problems are commonplace while lesser complaints such as aggravation of chronic conditions such as arthritis and persistent back pain seem almost normal in golfers over fifty.

The simplicity of the five set-up changes in the OVER THE TOP GOLF swing make it a difficult thing to talk about because, in reality, I could teach you my method over the phone or by writing a few short paragraphs. If I did that, of course, no one would really need to purchase my golf instruction DVD. However, in the interest of this medically significant article, I will divulge that one of the five set-up changes is a walk-through finish.

In addition to being one of the components necessary for the golfer to square the club face at impact, the walk-through finish serves to remove almost all of the stress that is normally associated with all conventional golf swings. Where I once teetered on an unsteady left foot at follow-through, I now have a finish that requires no balance and is as easy as, well…..walking! Where my lower back used to cry out for a day off once in a while, these days I never hear a whimper. After 18 holes I used to be tired and sore. Now, I’m usually looking forward to playing another nine.



http://overthetopgolf.com
strong medicine



Thanks to http://www.podiatrytoday.com/article/2436  Kirk Herring, DPM, and Kelli Pearson, DC



Keywords for this article: golf, swing, over the top, lesson, instruction, eBook, ankle, arthritis, back, bursitis, foot, golf injuries, golf instruction DVD, golf swing, hip, knee, mechanics, over the top golf swing, prevent, rotation, sprain, tendonitis, torn ligaments, torso
Revised 09-03-2012