The Effect of Golf on Musculoskeletal Health
The warm weather is upon us, and golfers are getting ready to get back to the course in an effort to shake off the winter rust. Golfers are often hassled because golf is viewed as an unauthentic sport, but rather as past time for old lazy people who just want to stand around all day. But believe it or not, golfers incur a significant amount of wear and tear on their bodies.
Anyone who is increasing their activity level in the springtime after a cold winter needs to take stringent precaution with their bodies, but golfers must ensure that proper adjustments need to be made to their practice regiment to slowly reintroduce the body into these motions. One of the main points of contention where golfers will especially feel physiological stress is in their neck and back.
A Dallas, Texas chiropractor named Dr. Mark Harris is treating numerous golfers for lower back pain at his clinic, Trinity Hills Chiropractic. He claims that while lower back pain is what he treats in golfers most often, there is frequent misunderstanding with respect to the source of the pain. He emphasizes the fact that there is a stark distinction between the source of pain and the cause of pain. The lower back may be the source of the pain, but there are so many different things that can happen to the spine that should be looked to as the cause of the pain. Examples of causes for lower back pain include muscle strains, ligament damage, spinal misalignment, arthritis, or in some severe cases, fracture to one or more of the vertebrae.
If the lower back pain is not handled properly, the problem can spread to other areas of the musculoskeletal system such as the shoulders and the neck. Golf requires cohesive movement between all body parts. When the movements are haphazard and range of motion is constrained, there is not only harm done to the musculoskeletal system but to the nervous system and to various organ systems. Dr. Mark Harris, along with other chiropractic professionals who have experience working with golfers, are trying to change this misconception and urge their patients to enact protective measures for their spine.
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