Reliving a round of golf can be a fun experience - remembering the birdie you made on #7, the drive you crushed on #13, and hopefully the bet you won on #18!
Unfortunately, your body can also relive a round of golf, but not in a good way! Sore muscles, aching joints, and sometimes serious pain can be a reminder of our time on the links. In this issue, I am going to give you some background as to why this happens and how you can use a foam roller to reduce these issues.
Golf is a physically demanding activity and the body can react poorly to it. Left unchecked, the body’s reaction to the stresses of golf will include muscle stiffness and tension which usually starts off as just a little nagging tightness and discomfort. But here is the thing - these minor aches and pains can lead to movement compensations that can greatly increase your risk for an injury. This is compounded by the fact that most of us do not get to spend our entire day teaching yoga or getting massages. In fact, we spend much of our day sitting hunched over a desk or a computer screen and that just adds more tightness to our bodies. This position of flexed stillness is absolutely terrible for our hips, torso, shoulders, and neck - which all happen to be of vital importance in the golf swing. Tightness in these muscle groups will lead to poor swing mechanics at the very least and more than likely may have you considering making a trip to the chiropractor’s office.
So how can we improve the quality of our movement and begin to release the tension stored in our tightened muscles? A good starting point is myofascial release! Massage therapy is the basic concept here. Deep tissue massage involves the massage therapist uses his/her hands (and sometimes elbows!!!) to find tight “trigger points” within the muscle and release them to allow for more full and pain-free range of motion. The problem is that within a day or two the tightness returns…usually due to the fact that we continue to do the things (such as work or school - ugh!) that led to the initial tightness. Since we can’t all have a massage therapist on hand every day, it is good to invest in a foam roller to have as your own personal massage therapist on demand!
A foam roller is meant to do the same thing as a massage therapist: provide pressure to mechanically and neurologically release muscle tension and restore full range of motion. Here what to do:
Slowly move your body along the foam roller (making sure never to cross a major joint such as the knee!) and you will likely find a particular area that is very uncomfortable. The key is to apply sustained, but not unbearable pressure on that area, breathe and relax the muscle onto the roller. Usually within 15-30 seconds the discomfort will begin to dissipate. Once the discomfort is about 75% gone, continue on. Be aware though that where you find one trigger point, there are often many others right around it. So you may not get very far before finding another sore spot. Continue for as long as you feel comfortable; try to get up and down the muscle(s) at least 2 times. It should get easier the more often you do it.
Take a look at the Perform Better website (requires a free registration) for great instruction on how to use the foam roller on your body.
www.performbetter.com
And, while you are there, be sure to buy yourself a foam roller or get one from your local sporting goods store the next time you are checking out the new golf clubs on display!
I’ll see you again next month. Until then, keep it in the short grass!
Dr. Chris
Dr. Christian Thompson is the owner of Thompson Fitness Solutions and has taught golf-specific fitness classes and clinics for the past 12 years. He has been on faculty in the Kinesiology Department at the University of San Francisco since 2002
www.thompsonfitnesssolutions.com
Dr. Chris
Dr. Christian Thompson is the owner of Thompson Fitness Solutions (www.thompsonfitnesssolutions.com) and has taught golf-specific fitness classes and clinics for the past 12 years. He has been on faculty in the Kinesiology Department at the University of San Francisco since 2002.
I’ll see you again next month. Until then, keep it in the short grass!I’ll see you again next month. Until then, keep it in the short grass!
Dr. Chris
Dr. Christian Thompson is the owner of Thompson Fitness Solutions (www.thompsonfitnesssolutions.com) and has taught golf-specific fitness classes and clinics for the past 12 years. He has been on faculty in the Kinesiology Department at the University of San Francisco since 2002.
Reliving a round of golf can be a fun experience - remembering the birdie you made on #7, the drive you crushed on #13, and hopefully the bet you won on #18! Unfortunately, your body can also relive a round of golf, but not in a good way! Sore muscles, aching joints, and sometimes serious pain can be a reminder of our time on the links. In this issue, I am going to give you some background as to why this happens and how you can use a foam roller to reduce these issues.
Golf is a physically demanding activity and the body can react poorly to it. Left unchecked, the body’s reaction to the stresses of golf will include muscle stiffness and tension which usually starts off as just a little nagging tightness and discomfort. But here is the thing - these minor aches and pains can lead to movement compensations that can greatly increase your risk for an injury. This is compounded by the fact that most of us do not get to spend our entire day teaching yoga or getting massages. In fact, we spend much of our day sitting hunched over a desk or a computer screen and that just adds more tightness to our bodies. This position of flexed stillness is absolutely terrible for our hips, torso, shoulders, and neck - which all happen to be of vital importance in the golf swing. Tightness in these muscle groups will lead to poor swing mechanics at the very least and more than likely may have you considering making a trip to the chiropractor’s office.
So how can we improve the quality of our movement and begin to release the tension stored in our tightened muscles? A good starting point is myofascial release! Massage therapy is the basic concept here. Deep tissue massage involves the massage therapist uses his/her hands (and sometimes elbows!!!) to find tight “trigger points” within the muscle and release them to allow for more full and pain-free range of motion. The problem is that within a day or two the tightness returns…usually due to the fact that we continue to do the things (such as work or school - ugh!) that led to the initial tightness. Since we can’t all have a massage therapist on hand every day, it is good to invest in a foam roller to have as your own personal massage therapist on demand!
A foam roller is meant to do the same thing as a massage therapist: provide pressure to mechanically and neurologically release muscle tension and restore full range of motion. Here what to do:
Slowly move your body along the foam roller (making sure never to cross a major joint such as the knee!) and you will likely find a particular area that is very uncomfortable. The key is to apply sustained, but not unbearable pressure on that area, breathe and relax the muscle onto the roller. Usually within 15-30 seconds the discomfort will begin to dissipate. Once the discomfort is about 75% gone, continue on. Be aware though that where you find one trigger point, there are often many others right around it. So you may not get very far before finding another sore spot. Continue for as long as you feel comfortable; try to get up and down the muscle(s) at least 2 times. It should get easier the more often you do it.
Take a look at the Perform Better website (requires a free registration) for great instruction on how to use the foam roller on your body.
www.performbetter.com
And, while you are there, be sure to buy yourself a foam roller or get one from your local sporting goods store the next time you are checking out the new golf clubs on display!
I’ll see you again next month. Until then, keep it in the short grass!
Dr. Chris
Dr. Christian Thompson is the owner of Thompson Fitness Solutions (www.thompsonfitnesssolutions.com) and has taught golf-specific fitness classes and clinics for the past 12 years. He has been on faculty in the Kinesiology Department at the University of San Francisco since 2002.