CHIROPRACTIC AND GOLF… A GOOD COMBINATION!
Vol. 3 Issue 93
There are some 25 million golfers in America and a good percentage of them suffer from chronic back pain. It’s not surprising considering all the forceful twisting that most golfers endure because of their enthusiastic swings.
Unfortunately for golfers, there is a theory which promotes maximal spine rotation during the backswing. The spinal muscles, however, provide only 5% of the torque generated during spinal rotation; with the abdominal muscles doing nearly all of the work. In truth, a short swing, with less spinal rotation gives a golfer more control and minimizes stress in the lumbar spine.
The “big-swing, big-muscle” method is dangerous and should be abandoned.
There are several avenues of care that chiropractors can offer golfers, including spinal adjustments, preventive swing advice, rehabilitation exercises and anti-inflammatory nutrition. Golfers should be advised to adopt the principle of rigid parallelization throughout the golf swing, which requires rigid abdominal control.
Chiropractic and golf are a good match, both for the treatment of sports injuries, proper instruction and preventive care.
SOURCE: Dynamic Chiropractic online/ www.chiroweb.com, August 1999.
