Can Seeing A Chiropractor Really Improve My Golf Game?
Improving Your Golf Game With Chiropractic Care
There’s a reason Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer have all relied on chiropractic care throughout their careers, and it’s not just for relief from their aches and pains. It’s the same reason chiropractors have been part of the official PGA Sports Medicine Team for decades. Even if you’re not in pain, adjustments can improve your posture, increase flexibility, allow for full range of motion and decrease the risk of injury. Now research published by the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine has confirmed what most pro golfers already know: regular chiropractic care can indeed improve your golf swing and, as a result, lead to improved overall performance of your play.
“I’ve been going to a chiropractor for as long as I can remember. It is as important to my training as the practice of my swing.”
-Tiger Woods, Pro Golfer
The study, performed by sports medicine physicians in São Paulo, Brazil, examined 43 golfers who were all of similar ages and golf handicaps. The participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The control group was instructed to perform a daily regimen of specific stretches and warm-ups, whereas the experimental group received chiropractic adjustments in addition to the stretches and warm-ups.
Prior to treatment, the participants were asked to perform three full swing maneuvers, and measurements were made of the average distance they were able to drive the ball. The participants were tested again following their stretching or stretching/adjustment. This entire process was repeated over a period of four weeks.
Results of the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine Study
After four weeks the results were clear: Among those in the group that were only instructed in stretching and warm-ups there was no improvement in the “full swing performance” (defined in the study as the average distance the golfers were able to drive the ball). But among the golfers who stretched, warmed up and received chiropractic adjustments, there was a statistically significant improvement in their “full swing performance.”
The physicians performing the study concluded that a treatment plan tailored to the individual that includes chiropractic adjustments in conjunction with specific exercises and stretches can make a significant difference in your overall performance and enjoyment of the game.
But chiropractic care doesn’t just help golfers play better, it helps them avoid being forced to take time off due to injuries as well!
Preventing Golf Injuries With Chiropractic Care
As a Milwaukee sports chiropractor, I know all too well that a significant percentage of the millions of people who enjoy golf suffer from chronic pain — mostly back pain. In fact, low back pain makes up 56% of golf-related complaints. It’s easy to understand why back injuries are common in golfers. Most golfers are weekend hackers; they haven’t had years of professional training and conditioning like Annika Sorenstam or Tiger Woods, and often the muscles that support their spine (specifically their core/paraspinal musculature) are weak and underdeveloped.
“I do believe chiropractic has really benefited my game. I realize how your body can get out of balance, and chiropractic care helps.”
-Fred Funk, Pro Golfer
Golf is a game of repetitive motions. Swinging a golf club requires a repetitive, unilateral torquing of the spine that’s repeated a hundred or more times over a round of golf. It takes a toll on your spine, and the problem is compounded in amateurs because they notoriously use poor swing mechanics that cause instability in the low back.
Imagine going to the gym and working only one side of your body everyday for years and neglecting the opposite side. Unless you have impeccable conditioning and perfect form, golf tends to create this same type of imbalance in your spinal column, setting golfers up for injury.
For a proper swing you need unrestricted joint motion in the spine and pelvis. Think of your body as a spinning top, with your spine as the axis around which your arms, hands, and golf club rotate. The top can move very fast if the axis remains balanced but will topple over if the axis is unstable. To allow the top to continue spinning as efficiently as possible, it is imperative to have a healthy, freely moveable spine, as well as proper balance in the muscles supporting the spine.
It’s All About Balance
Go to the driving range and watch golfers hit balls and you’ll likely see a lot of tops about to topple over. Professional golfers’ spines, on the other hand, usually perform like a perfectly balanced spinning top. The body works best when the spine is in a neutral, balanced position. When the vertebra in your spine are not in the correct position, however, the action of swinging a golf club means extra wear and tear for your muscles, ligaments and discs. If you repeatedly stretch a muscle, ligament or intervertebral disc to its limit, it will begin to deform and eventually start to tear. In the field of biomechanics this is known as hysteresis, and it can result in muscle strain, ligament sprains, disc herniations and facet joint trauma.
Many people wait until they’re hurting to make an appointment with their doctor to get out of pain. The majority of professional golfers know better and see a chiropractor on a regular basis, whether they’re hurting or not. With regular maintenance chiropractic care, proper conditioning of your core musculature, and a good golf stretching and warm up routine, you too can boost your game and avoid the injuries so common in amateur golfers.
The Ascent Chiropractic Advantage For Golfers
If you’re hoping to improve your rounds of golf but not seeing a chiropractor for regular care, you’re missing out on a key advantage to your game! Need a chiropractor in Brookfield? At Ascent Chiropractic, we specialize in a gentle, hands-on, low-force adjusting technique that allows us to treat patients of all shapes, sizes and conditions. Make an appointment at Ascent Chiropractic by calling 262-345-4166 or schedule an appointment with our online scheduling app.
Resources:
Costa SM, et al. Effect of spinal manipulative therapy with stretching compared with stretching alone on full-swing performance of golf players: a randomized pilot trial. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine. December 2009; 8(4):165-70.
Gluck G., Bendo J., Spivak F. The lumbar spine and low back pain in golf: a literature review of swing biomechanics and injury prevention. Spine J. September 2008; 8(5):778-788.
McCarroll, JR. The frequency of golf injuries. Clin Sports Med 1996; 15:1-7.
About the Author
This is so true, playing golf really puts a stress on our backs and hands. Getting chiropractic care is a good thing if you want to avoid injuries.
Wow, very nice post. It’s really awesome information for me. Thanks for this post because it’s helpful for me.
I didn’t know that chiropractic therapy could be so beneficial to my golf game. When I golf I usually walk. I know that walking when i golf can cause more stress then riding a cart. It would be nice to go to a chiropractor and get things checked out. Thanks for sharing.
Informative article for golf players.I find your subject is very good and so relevant.It’s really interesting to know chiropractice care can prevent golf injuries.
If you take golf seriously, play it a lot and don’t rely on some form of chiropractic care then sooner or later you are going to be suffering from severe back problems.
I have bee playing for 20 years now and for the 1st 15 didnt take care of my back at all.
It’s taken me the last 5 years to finally get it sorted.
Seeing a chiropractor will definitely help improve your overall well being as well as your golf game.You’re posture and joint will improve and can help you open up to more exercises, when i was younger i had lower back pain when i play football and after i went to see a chiropractor i was relieved alot of the pressure i felt
I bet this would really help my swing. Lately I’ve been really off. An adjustment sounds really nice after the week I’ve had. I tend to carry a lot of tension in my upper back and shoulders.
Traditional golf instruction has many flaws. After teaching 19 years as a PGA Instructor, I discovered many more reliable ways to setup and hit a golf ball using the Large Muscles to control your golf swing.
First, I questioned “Traditional Golf Instructions” with my own game. I would improve one aspect of my swing and it would affect another part (trade-offs). This is when I realized there are way too many working parts (levers) with how the golf swing is being taught. The odds of timing all these parts was very high and the only way to have any chance for consistency was hours & hours of daily practice. I knew there had to be a more reliable easier way.
I watched very closely (with video frame at a time) how the best golfers in the world moved when they hit really great shots… and when they missed. I noticed (like you did) how effortlessly great golf shots looked. I found that the Golf Swing has this look when it is “Athletic” and controlled by the Large Muscles (not the hands). If the “Hands” take over during the swing, all natural collective movements are disrupted and it turns into chopping wood (so to speak). Once you allow the hands to take over, the club face will point all over the place. If the hands are passive during the swing, the club face will always be square to the target and return square at the ball because it was not manipulated during the swing.
Chiropractic therapy works like magic, i have real experience about it. Every golfer should try this therapy. It helps to reduce stress level and makes our spine in neutral position which is very important in golf.
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Really This is True. Informative article for golfers. I have real experience about it. Thanks
Golf is a great hobby that has many health benefits. Besides the love for golf, both novice and professionals have something in common: back pain. Golf requires coordination between different body parts and muscles of your body. If one muscle or one part of your body does not perform optimally, it causes other parts to overcompensate, leading to pain. Chiropractors normally use spinal manipulation and some other techniques to alleviate back pain. Chiropractic treatment is non-invasive and effective. You feel the relief quite sooner.
This is 100% something that would benefit so many golfers and help them to stay on top of their golf game!
Yes, Seeing A Chiropractor Really Improve Golf Game. If I ask this question to any normal golfers, they’ll say yes but unfortunately, most of them can’t describe the reason behind it. Thanks for writing an informative post. I really really appreciate your words.
Very wonderful information for not only beginners but also experts too. Thank you for your great effort.
I an a golf player and this is a great article for golf players. This article is so much helpful to improve golf and chiropractic is a very good thing to avoid injuries. This is true and this is something which helps so many golfers. I want to know about good golf club brands.
Thanks
Thanks
This is 100% something that would benefit so many golfers and help them to stay on top of their golf game! Read more
Hello, Dr Grant Radermacher
I read this article and this is very helpful for me as well…keep it up, sir. Best of luck
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An adjustment sounds really nice after the week I’ve had. I tend to carry a lot of tension in my upper back and shoulders.