Strengthening Your Core Can Help Reduce Your Golf Injuries and Improve Your Performance
Are you looking for proven ways to improve your golf performance? Have injuries affected your swing mechanics and limited your ability to play? At Coast Rehab, our physical therapists can help identify the impairments and weaknesses contributing to pain/injuries and troubles playing.
The golf swing is a very complex movement that requires the coordination of the whole body. Due to the nature of the one-sided swing, imbalances in muscle development are possible—any alteration in how your body functions can lead to faulty swing mechanics and injury.
At Coast Rehab, our physical therapists have proven results with golfers of all abilities and types of injuries. We understand how a weakness or restriction can cause havoc on the body. Fortunately, we also know how to help you restore and improve your strength to resolve your problems, prevent future injuries, and enhance overall golf performance!
Request an appointment with one of our experts and learn how strengthening can help you too!
What is the core, and how does it help golfers?
Even though the idea of strengthening the core seems to be everywhere when it comes to golfing, the results are clear, it helps. The golf swing is a complex movement requiring the entire body to coordinate effectively to generate large rotational forces and large rotational ranges of motion, especially in the spine and pelvis.
The core is often misinterpreted as someone with six-pack abs. When discussing golfers and the golf swings, the core means muscles that wrap around the entire circumference of the mid-section, including the pelvic floor muscles, the abdominals, back muscles, and the diaphragm muscle.
Our core muscles are located deep in the body connecting to the spine. These muscles play a role in the movement itself and in stabilizing one area so another area can move. Weaknesses or imbalances in these muscles can lead to injuries in the lower back, hip, and potentially any other body area used during the swing.
The amount of force generated by the golf swing is equivalent to a football player hitting the tackling dummies. Knowing how to train them correctly can be the difference between an injury and hitting the longest drive of your life!
Research has shown that performing a core training program leads to significant increases in ball speed, carry yardage, and total yardage. The improvements from strength training are significant for resolving injuries, preventing injuries, and improving your overall performance hitting the ball!
How does the core cause injuries?
Most golf injuries are related to overuse syndromes and poor swing mechanics. One of the most important aspects of good swing mechanics includes core stability and strength. Our core muscles are needed to perform the movement and simultaneously stabilize while other body areas move.
Improper swing mechanics can affect any area of the body. Impairments in the core muscles can lead to loss of proper postures, excessive side-bending, and over-rotation of the spine. In addition, poor trunk control from core weakness may lead to restricted hip mobility and, if practiced repeatedly, may lead to an increased risk of injury.
Any limitations in mobility due to a lack of core stability can lead to overuse injuries. Most golf injuries are related to overuse syndromes and include the following conditions:
- Lower back pain
- Thoracic spine pain
- Rotator cuff tendonitis
- Golfers’ elbow
- Hip pain (i.e., joint injuries and muscle/tendon problems)
- Knee pain/injuries (i.e., meniscus injuries, osteoarthritis)
The golf swing consists of a complex series of movements that generate significant rotational, compressive, and shear forces on the spine. Weaknesses in the core’s ability to handle these forces may lead to a restriction in the pelvis which increases the risk of injury. Fortunately, at Coast Rehab, our physical therapists know the demands of golf and how to help you resolve your condition and swing pain-free again!
What to expect in your physical therapy sessions
Most golf-related injuries result from overuse and/or poor swing mechanics and often due to weaknesses or limitations in core strength. Our team has a good understanding of the biomechanics and forces of the golf swing to diagnose and treat any golf-related injury.
We will conduct a comprehensive evaluation at your first visit that includes a thorough history and whole-body movement assessment. We will identify your unique joint range of motion and strength and how your joints and muscles move in relation to one another.
It is crucial to assess your coordination and balance to ensure we determine any weaknesses and/or limitations that may impair your ability to swing correctly. This information will help us design a program tailored to your individual needs.
We will tailor our program to your individual needs and likely consist of flexibility/mobility, strength, and swing training to help the golfer reduce the likelihood of injury and improve their overall performance so you can hit the ball with greater confidence!
Request an appointment today!
At Coast Rehab, our physical therapists will design a golf-specific core strengthening program. Our goal is to help you find relief and protect your body from future injuries and pain.
No matter what condition you are dealing with, we can help! Contact Coast Rehab to set up an appointment with one of our physical therapists!
Sources:
https://www.activesafe.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Golf_jj.pdf
https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-back-and-musculoskeletal-rehabilitation/bmr181131
https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/jsr/29/4/article-p425.xml