How Joint and Muscle Health Impact Your Golf Swing

How Joint and Muscle Health Impact Your Golf Swing

Golf is a good choice of a low impact anaerobic exercise. The exercise encourages blood flow and can be a big help to your back. However, when looking at a golf swing it all starts with the player’s body. The body’s joints, muscles, and tendons have to be in good shape to be able to move through the needed range of motions to perform the swing. If there is a problem with your body then it will show in your golf swing.

It is common for golfers to have back, knee, wrist, and even shoulder injuries due to the rotational nature of the golf swing. The golf swing is a dynamic movement where the entire body becomes engaged from head to toe. It is important for golfers to ensure their muscles are strong and flexible to avoid injury and to be able to play their best game. When muscles are tight and the joints are not healthy, the golfer can be injured. Below are the important muscles and joints that you should keep fit to ensure your golf swing is better.

  • Arm and wrist muscles

Wrist flexibility is important if you want to have the best golf swing. For you to hold the golf club accurately, you need to have a strong grip and forearm endurance. If your arm and wrists muscles are tight then it will be harder for you to get the best golf swing.

  • Neck and shoulder muscles

Your neck is made up of small muscles that help to keep the perfect neck and shoulder posture when golfing. If your shoulders are weak, you will have to rely on other muscles to compensate. This is a major cause of injury and overuse of the wrists since the weak shoulder and neck muscles cause many golfers to rely on their wrists in an attempt to stabilize their swing.

  • Hamstrings muscles

Most golfers often complain of lower back pain or shooting pains on the back when trying to reach down for the ball. This is one characteristic of tight hamstring muscles. When these muscles are not well-exercised, they shorten. This results in a pulled pelvis, which leads to the spine compensating for this by stretching more. The stretch leads to painful and stressed shoulders and neck and reduced swinging power.

  • Hips

Tight hips prevent the player from keeping their pelvis stable while swinging on the club. During the swing setup, the hips and waist should be in line with the club. An imbalanced pelvis can lead to the wrong weight shift to the foot. This can wrongly affect the player’s golf swing.

  • Back muscles

The vertebrae in the spine rotate during a golf swing, which causes a wringing effect on the discs. These are the jelly-like features between the vertebrae. This motion can lead to pressure on the discs, which affects the surrounding back tissues and muscles.

  • Knee Joints

Swinging the golf club causes the rotation of the shinbone or the tibia found on the thighbone. This can lead to grinding of the bone and cartridge in the knee joint.

  • Elbow joint

Golfers elbow or tennis elbow is another common problem caused by overuse of the elbow joint. The swinging causes a lot of stress on the elbow joint, which can result in a lot of pain due to the attachment of the flexor tendons on the humerus.

Remedies To Muscle And Joint Problems

Strengthening the multifidus muscles that are found along the spine can help support the vertebrae and decrease back pain. You can help strengthen these muscles by doing the arm-leg lift exercises. When on all fours lift the opposite arm or leg while keeping your back straight. Alternate on both sides and repeat this exercise for two minutes.

Strengthening the ankle and hip muscles can also prevent strain on the knee joint. Try the ankle wipers exercises where you wrap a resistance band around your foot and the other end wrap it on a sturdy object. Keeping your knees straight, move the foot inward as you feel the band resist while taking care not to let the knee roll. The sidekicks are other exercises that strengthen your hip and ankle muscles.

Massage therapy can help relieve tension and pressure on some muscles and joints. For instance, massage therapy relieves the pain caused by tennis elbow.

Another very helpful option if you are suffering from muscle and joint tightens is to visit a doctor for help. At Frontline ER, we treat golf related muscle and joint tightness. Do not wait until your game starts to suffer to make an appointment with us. Schedule one now and get help from our board certified and experienced doctors.

We have friendly staff and our freestanding emergency room has no waiting time. You do not need to book an appointment with us just call us at 281-766-3811 and let us know you are on your way. We also have facilities at different locations including Raymond and Dallas Texas, which allows you to get fast relief so that you can go back to your game.

At Frontline ER, we strive to provide the best healthcare experience to give you the most valuable treatment and peace of mind so that you can enjoy your game of golf.

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