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The Science Of Helping Golfers Avoid Injury
June 21, 2017
At the TPC River Highlands, golf’s best are gearing up to tee off June 22 at Connecticut’s only PGA tour stop, the Travelers Championship.
As thousands of spectators converge upon the course in Cromwell, they’ll be watching every move the pros make — checking out their swings, their walk, their warm-ups and stretches.
Golfers are just as vulnerable as other athletes to injury. Yet golf injuries can be prevented, according to physical therapist Wendy Nichols from the Center for Musculoskeletal Health at the Hartford HealthCare Bone & Joint Institute at Hartford Hospital:
Q: What are some of the types of injuries golfers can experience?
A: Some common types of injuries golfers face include:
- Back pain
- Golf elbow
- Rotator cuff injury
- Tendinitis in the wrist
- Knee pain
Q: How can golfers avoid these injuries?
A: Stretching is important to do before embarking upon any exercise or sporting endeavor – even golfing. In fact, there are certain types of exercises that golfers can do to avoid injury.
Related: Here’s What Your Golf Swing Should Look Like
Q: What is unique about the services available at the Center for Musculoskeletal Health at Hartford HealthCare’s Bone & Joint Institute?
A: The Center for Musculoskeletal Health has a state-of-the art Motion Lab with multiple cameras to really capture what the body is doing. Then our experts can really analyze what the body is doing. Once we are able to look at how the body moves we are able to correct small things that might not be visible otherwise. In the case golfers, we can work with them to help improve their overall swing.
Q: The Center for Musculoskeletal Health also includes an assessment center for athletes. What does this mean?
A: We are able to run athletes through a complete assessment of their well-being, using our motion lab to assess physical therapy needs. We take a look at diet and make suggestions for improving that. We help athletes who smoke to quit. We can help runners with their strike and assess the body mechanics of athletes across the sporting spectrum.
Learn more about your golf swing – and getting it into a healthy place: Visit the Center for Musculoskeletal Health here.
Hartford HealthCare is the official volunteer sponsor for the 2017 Travelers Championship. Here are some photos of our own staff volunteering, participating in the Pro-Am and attending the annual Women’s Day event.
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