With the sun beginning to shine and the news that golf courses are set to open on 29th March, we’re sure many of you are looking forward to getting back on the greens and perfecting your game!

However, before considering if you should be booking lessons or buying that new driver which promises 10 more yards for just£400, have you ever thought about seeing if that stiff back, stiff neck or shoulder misalignment that means you can’t swing a putter in a straight line, could be removed from your game?
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Movement limitations caused by your body’s posture, muscular imbalances and old injuries from the days when you were a bit more flexible, may well be part of the reason you just cannot get to the top of your backswing anymore. Why you can’t rotate as you once could, or why you are super stiff as you climb out of the car when you return home from the course.

Potentially finding much more freedom of movement via Osteopathic treatment could be the key difference your game and swing actually needs. No amount of lessons or expensive shiny new clubs are going to be able to improve your swing if you just cannot get your body into those positions and could well be the reason you have always had that killer slice.

Research on golfers that play regularly suggests that the one-sided nature of a golf swing can bring on movement restrictions which could, over time, lead to low back pain (Murray et al. 2009; Dickenson et al. 2016). We know you don’t want to stop playing, and wouldn’t suggest it, as there are many other social, mental health and wellbeing aspects that enjoying golf offers us, but is the pain experienced not worth removing from your game?

An Osteopathic assessment is a holistic, whole-body assessment that can help the practitioner assess whether treatment is the right option for you and potentially give you the reason why you’re in pain and not just try to reduce that pain. Postural imbalances and adaptations, thanks to the relentless work of gravity can mean we are creating wear and tear on our bodies in an imbalanced way, especially if we have a repetitive, unilateral activity in our lives, such as golf.

Added to the challenge faced by those of us that work in physically demanding jobs, or conversely static, desk-based jobs or as a result of working from home, it’s not difficult to see we are all susceptible to postural adaptations, which could well hamper our swings, cause us lots of pain, or worse still…lose your fourball match.

An appointment that includes a detailed medical history to assess not only your posture but your health in order to clear up whether you’re safe to be treated and not unfortunately suffering due to another medical condition that may need further investigation, is at the heart of osteopathic practice.

A registered Osteopath is a member of the allied-health professions, whom has studied for at least 4 years for a Masters degree.

So, this spring, invest in your golfing health, come to see if an Osteopath could help to improve your swing!

Michael England M.Ost, BSc.

Registered Osteopath at Bridgeham Clinic

Book your FREE 15 minute osteopathic assessment by calling our amazing admin angels on 01293 542245!

References

Dickenson, E., O’Connor, P., Robinson, P., Campbell, R., Ahmed, I., Fernandez, M., Hawkes, R., Charles, H., Griffin, D., 2016. Hip morphology in elite golfers: asymmetry between lead and trail hips. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 50(17), pp. 1081-1086.

Murray, E., Birley, E., Twycross-Lewis, R., Morrissey, D., 2009. The relationship between hip rotation range of movement and low back pain prevalence in amateur golfers: An observational study. Physical Therapy in Sport, 10(4),pp. 131-135.