Returning to any activity after a period of inactivity (i.e. winter in Ohio) can be met with stiffness, aches, pains, and feelings of being “out of shape.” When we are inactive, our bodies start to lose some strength and mobility. If Golf is your sport and you go from 0 to 100 without prepping the body, injuries can occur.
You may find that your first time playing after a winter off feels stiff, but not too bad. However, continue to push your body and you might start noticing some aches in the back, shoulders, and elbows. Ignore this ache and it may turn into pain. Ignore the pain and you’ve got yourself an injury that’s keeping you out for weeks.
Many may feel the need to increase their strength to avoid injury and drive the ball further down the course, what they don’t realize is the importance of mobility.
Think about a golf swing… you approach the ball and start to move into your backswing. There is a rotational force through the knees, hips, trunk, and shoulders. This continues throughout the downswing and follow-through. Without adequate mobility through any of those joints, the forces of the movement move up and down the chain, adding extra stress to the joints above and below the immobile joint or segment. Not only does this make your swing less efficient, taking yards off your shot, but it also will inevitably lead to an injury if not addressed early on.
It's important to work on rotational mobility through knees, hips, torso and shoulders. While you may be able to find many different stretches and mobility programs online, if you are starting to have aches and pains, seek help from a trained professional BEFORE they progress into an injury that’s going to take you away from the game.
Once you increase your range it is important to strengthen the muscles in their new range of motion in order to maintain mobility.
To help with Mobility, I can build a personalized plan to get you ready for the course in no time. Call today for a Dynamic Movement Assessment.