Golf Massage Therapy and How it Can Help Your Game
A Lot of People Play Golf
Golf Massage Therapy in Hot Springs AR – could it possibly help improve your game and even your recovery?
Golf!, It’s one of the most popular and frustrating sports in the world. In fact, between 28 million and 35 million people participate in golf worldwide. The United States alone tallies 12.8 million over the age of 18 playing it at least eight times a year. Whether it’s spending a leisurely Sunday afternoon at the local par-3 course or intensely competing in a professional tournament, golfers can be spotted in impressive numbers these days. Not only have the participant numbers reached new levels, so too has the game itself. Once thought of more as a mental pursuit than a physical one, golfers have come to understand the increasing importance of the body’s role.
Speak to enough golfers and you will begin to understand why the sport is so popular. Golf welcomes participants of all ages and abilities and offers them beautiful outdoor settings and plenty of exercise. The four to five hours needed to play a typical round provide an ideal platform for socializing, networking, and just plain entertainment. Although every swing, whether a drive, putt, or chip, requires great concentration, the sport provides a level of challenge we are all seeking in one way or another.
It Pays to Prepare
As an increasing number of golfers, from weekend warriors to pro’s, are beginning to realize that if you do not prepare and care for your body in the use of sports activities then there is a very strong possibility that temporary or permanent damage and injury will be the inevitable result.
Not only can injuries surface from weak muscles, but poor technique and mechanics can wreak havoc on the golfer. The swing, requiring great rotation and compression, asks for the entire body’s cooperation, if not heeded, disaster can strike.
Vetran Golfer Advises
Perhaps a large portion of the Arkansas golfing community will relate to the comment of veteran golfer, former PGA member Jerry Impellittiere, who says, there is a way to fight back.
“I went for massage initially because I had very tight muscles which were affecting my game,” recalls the 53-year-old Impellittiere, who lives in Palm City, Fla., and plays golf almost every day, as well as takes part in tournaments like the recent Senior PGA. “The deep- tissue massage I got two to three times a week worked right away, elongating my muscles and really helping with my flexibility.” Impellittiere, who has been swinging his clubs since age 10 and been a pro for the past 30 years, adds, “I would recommend massage for all golfers, as they suffer from so many different injuries which can be relieved by this means.”
Sports Massage Therapy is Beneficial
Amateur and professional athletes and teams have recognized the benefits of sports massage therapy and generally have therapists on staff. Sports massage can reduce the chances of injuries, but injuries sometimes are unpreventable. If and when an athlete does get injured, sports massage can speed up the recovery time. Other benefits include relaxation to reduce stress and performance anxiety, and assisting athletes with their warm up and cool down with pre and post event massage.
Donald Piranty Certified MMT, Member of BRA
Target Points on a Golfer
Theresa Glancy, a massage therapist at Pinehurst Golf Resort (where golf began in America in 1895), located in the Sandhills of North Carolina and home of the 2005 U.S. Open Golf Championships, observes distinctions amongst the injuries traditionally endured by golfers in the amateur and weekend ranks, as opposed to the professional ones. The less seasoned players tend to suffer primarily from strained muscles, golfer’s elbow, calf, and hip issues from walking, as well as muscle strains connected to carrying heavy golf equipment.
In contrast, higher caliber players primarily possess strength imbalances in the pelvic girdle. “These level golfers typically want you to maintain these muscles, and this usually involves the movement rotation of the body, one side is tighter than the other,” Glancy says. She’s been practicing massage therapy for the past five years and more than half of her clients are golfers. “As a result, you want to make sure to relieve any discomfort in the back area without changing the muscular structure and affecting the swing.”
Glancy notes still another trend she detects among the professional golfer ranks. “In the middle of a tournament, they tend to stick with the more relaxing type of massage,” Glancy says. “Off season, they can get deeper work.”
Poor Technique and Mechanics
Most golf injuries result from poor technique and mechanics. The sport involves a great deal of rotation and compression, golfers most commonly experience soreness around the head and neck (sprains as a result of tightening up and hitting too hard) and in between the shoulder blades,” “Their hands, forearms, and rotator cuff muscles are usually tense, contracted, or inflamed from gripping and swinging the club.”
The lower back, including the quadratus lumborum muscles and sacroiliac joint, are particularly vulnerable to spinal misalignment during the swing. Additionally, the golfer can be plagued by sore gluteals, piriformis around the hips that are affected by the twisting motion of the swing, tight hamstrings and calves, and sore feet from the high mileage logged walking a golf course. Knees, too, can be frequently injured areas when pressure is applied to that region while the golfer leans his weight on the front leg during pivoting. Finally, the lattissimus dorsi can take abuse when the shoulder and upper back region joins in for the rotation on the down swing and follow-through.
Warm Up and Cool Down
Targeted warming up and cooling down exercises are recommended before and after play. This preparatory movement will assist with warming and relaxing muscles while helping to prevent injuries. It is also a really good idea for any golfer new to the game to take some lessons from a PGA teaching professional to help avoid some of the basic “bad posture” injuries and build a foundation for good practice, later.
When I work with older golfers, I find that range of motion may be limited by aging factors, such as long term bad posture, arthritis or an old injury. In younger players—and I do see serious golfers as young as age 16— the chance of injury is higher because they don’t know yet how to read what their bodies are trying to tell them. During the massage session, my goal is to educate the client about their anatomy and physiology, specifically in regard to how it all ties in with their golf game. Also, a large element of staying ‘pain free’ is in educating the client in the use of proper warm-up and stretching, followed by a massage and adequate hydration before and during the game. Then rehydration, sauna use and massage after the game to bring the muscles back into balance.
The Best Way Forward
I recommend an initial treatment/assessment to target and identify existing problems, when these are cleared most people see immediate results such as, lengthened drive and increase in accuracy. To see continued overall improvement with your game and of course, a substantial reduction in aches and pains during and after play, a programme of ‘maintenance treatments’ should be put into place.
All aspects of these treatments depend on which sport, frequency, timing and other variables. Call to discuss your specific needs.
- Competition Treatments.
- Sports Bodywork.
- Initial consultation and treatment 90 mins.
- Pre-recovery..25 mins..invigorate, develop mental readiness.
- Pre-event… 20 mins…invigorate, develop mental readiness.
- Inter-competition.. 20 mins..invigorate, re balance and prepare.
- Post-event.. 15 mi ns..loosen, relax, begin recovery.
- Post-recovery..30-60 mins..recovery, relax, work problem areas.
- Maintenance…75 mins..full body, address specific problems, prevent injuries, achieve full ROM, enhance performance.
For More Information
Call: +1 479-213-3593 or
email: dpreflex@tutanota.com