Golfing

How can ART improve my golfing?

Golf Analysis – We Can Help…

Your golf swing is all about proper body mechanics. A good golf swing requires full rotational capacity of nearly every joint involved and must be done – efficiently – easily – explosively – repeatedly. Many swing faults are directly attributable to poor joint mobility, resulting from soft-tissue restrictions.

At Kinetic Health we provide you with a means to enhance your Golf performance by identifying and releasing restrictions that reduce performance and cause injuries.

During this analysis we:

• Determine which structures are affected along the Golfers kinetic chain. We focus on more than just the chief area of restriction.
• Identify the antagonistic structures (opposing muscle groups) to those that have been identified as the primary structures causing the imbalance.
• Since function and performance is based upon balance and coordination, an opposing soft-tissue structure is always affected by restrictions in the primary structure.
• Then treat each soft-tissue dysfunction with the appropriate technique to restore full function to the affected structures.

The result is almost most always an improvement in Golf performance. Using this process has helped hundreds of Golfers achieve their goals and prevent numerous injuries from occurring.

 

Common Swing Faults

Common swing faults occur due to :

• Tight shoulder.
• Tightness in the hip joint.
• Spinal injuries.
• Repetitive strain injuries.

Common swing faults can be identified in the following areas:

Restricted Shoulder Rotation:

• When shoulder rotation is restricted the body compensates with excessive spinal rotation. This can result in back injury because most people already lack flexibility in the spine.

In addition, golfers will notice that they have difficulties in:

• Keeping their eyes on the ball.
• Maintaining an optimal swing plane.

This results in fat or thin shots. When the golfer attempts to compensate at the shoulder joint, the chances of a hook or slice increases.

Tightness in the Hip Joint – Rotational Muscles:

• Tightness in the hip joint rotational muscles places additional strain on the rotational requirements of the shoulder or spine. Often a golfer will compensate by lifting up during the back swing and then chop down on the ball resulting in a fat shot.

Wrist and Elbow Injuries

• Wrist and elbow injuries often occur when the body does not have the capacity to effectively compensate at either the shoulder or spine. The wrists are then over-used to drive as well as decelerate the golf club.

Why do my muscles feel tight?

Muscles become shortened due to injury, from trauma, or from repetitive strains that cause micro-tears.

The scar tissue which forms at the injury site is less elastic and more fibrotic than normal tissue, and causes muscles to gradually loose their stretch component. Short tight muscles are weaker, more prone to injury, and play havoc with your golf swing.

Usually more than one muscle is involved. The body lays down fibrous adhesions between these muscle layers which restricts the muscles ability to slide freely past one another, disrupts joint mechanics, and cause the muscles to feel tight.

Shortened muscles and tightened joints, all combine to impair coordination, reduce power, and result in further injuries. This cycle will repeat itself unless these restrictions are released.

Stretching Will Not Break The Adhesions!

Even individuals such as professional athletes who are constantly stretching find it difficult to release these soft tissue adhesions.

This is why so many professional and amateur athletes are turning to Active Release Techniques (ART) to release and remove these restrictions. Scar tissue (or soft tissue adhesions) is several times stronger than normal tissue. Often muscle groups will literally adhere to each other, preventing the sliding necessary for full mobility.

During normal stretching, the first tissue that elongates is not the scar tissue, but the normal healthy tissue. Stretching is essential at the right time, but it never releases the restrictions that often occur between two soft tissue surfaces.

Applying ART to Golf Related Injuries

In order to effectively balance your muscles and remove joint restrictions we must first identify your unique pattern of muscle imbalances.

By utilizing a series of muscle balance and swing analysis tests, we can identify the exact type, extent, and location of muscle restriction. We then use ART treatments and follow-up stretches to remove and resolve these restrictions, and then strengthen the muscles to prevent re-injury.

Applying ART

Once the shortened muscles are identified, ART treatment works to break up the adhesion/scar tissue and return integrity back to the soft tissue. This is done by :

• Maintaining a contact on the adhesion, with the muscle in a shortened position.
• Elongating the muscle along its fiber orientation to break up the adhesion.

Once the adhesion is broken up, the soft tissue can glide unimpeded, allowing you to reach the positions your golf professionals are showing you without tension, pain, or further injury.

See the following topics for more information about ART:

• How do you diagnose the problem?
• What should I expect during ART treatment?
• How does an ART treatment feel?
• What other injuries can you treat with ART?