Using Chiropractic Care for Golf Injuries
While golf doesn’t rank very high on the impact scale as far as sports go, it may still take a negative toll on your body.
If you are an avid golfer, or someone who has thought about taking up the sport, it is important to be aware of using the proper form, stretching exercises and any other strategy that may be used in order to prevent any injuries to your back and joints.
For those that are looking to pick up golf, the first step is understanding the steps that are needed for a successful swing. This can be described in three steps: Take-away, Impact and Follow-through. All three of these steps work various muscles and parts of the body and it is vital that you are aware of what is needed to not only be successful in the sport, but to prevent any future injuries.
The first step in the swing motion, (Take-away) has the most common injury rate within the wrist area. The best way to avoid injury to your wrist or arm, is to strengthen this muscles. You can strengthen your wrist and arm muscles by doing dumbbell lifts. Starting with your arms at your side (and holding the dumbbell), use your wrist to lift the dumbbell until it reaches your hip and then slowly lower it. Repeat this between 10-15 times, depending on your strength level.
The second step works heavily on the knee and wrist area. The best way to strengthen the knee area, is to focus on the legs as a whole. Strength training in the legs may involve leg curls and leg extensions. Another way to strengthen your knees and legs is to effectively stretch your legs before and after any type of active work. When it comes to strengthening the wrist, it is best to work to strengthen the entire arm (including the triceps, elbows and forearm). You can achieve this strength by engaging in reverse pushups on a bench or table.
The third step is the follow through and this the act of turning the abdominal and may have a serious negative impact on the spinal cord. It is important to strengthen both your core (abdomen) as well as your back region. Types of exercises that would be the most beneficial include: trunk rotation machine, lower back extensions and twisting your core in a circular motion.
Chiropractic Treatment
If you are unfamiliar with golf stretches and conditioning, seeing a chiropractor may be a great benefit. Not only will your chiropractor be able to take a look at your spine and its alignment and make any necessary adjustments, he or she may also be able to give you some suggestions on pre and post stretching and cool down exercises. The majority of gold injuries occur when there isn’t a warm-up before engaging in a day long game!