The December 2009 issue of the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine included a study that focused on golfers at two different clubs in São Paulo, Brazil. A group of 43 golfers were divided into two random groups: One group received only a stretch program while the second group received the same stretch program in addition to chiropractic care.

All study participants were initially asked to perform three full swing maneuvers, and measurements were made of the average distance they were able to hit the ball for the three swings. Then, depending on which test group they were part of, the golfers went through just the stretching program, or the stretching plus chiropractic.

After participating in just the stretching or chiropractic plus stretching, the participants were asked to repeat the same three swing maneuvers and measurements were taken. This entire process was repeated for a period of four weeks over the course of the study. To maintain consistency, the study noted that the average age, handicap, and initial swing were comparable among all 43 golfers in the study.

The results were clear: After four weeks, there was no improvement in the “full swing performance” (defined in the study as the average distance the golfers were able to hit the ball), among those in the group that only did the stretching program prior to hitting the golf balls. But among those who received four sessions of stretching and chiropractic care, golfers showed a statistically significant improvement in their “full swing performance,” meaning that they hit the ball farther than the stretching-only group.

If you are hoping to improve your rounds of golf, please give us a call.

Tennis and golfers elbow, two of my favourite injuries. Is it strange that I have my favourite injuries, well yes it probably is.

Anyway, most of us have either had tennis or golfers elbow or know somebody who has. So what are they? Simply put, they are a tendon strain/pull/tear. N.B [The terms strain, pull and tear can be used interchangeably for any muscle or tendon injury].

Tennis Elbow

This occurs on the outside of the forearm and is shown on the above picture on the left hand side. Most people who suffer from tennis elbow don't play tennis. It's more likely that they have been typing or using a screwdriver too much. 

Over time the tendon gets irritated, tears slightly and becomes inflamed which hurts, a lot. If tennis elbow is actually caused by tennis, it happens we we over-reach to play a backhand shot. The ball hits the racket and forces the wrist to flex unexpectedly. This pulls the muscles on the outside of the forearm which in turn pulls the tendon resulting in a tear. Hopefully the picture below will help to explain a little better.

Golfers Elbow

This is essentially the exact opposite of tennis elbow. It is shown on the picture at the top of the page on the right hand side. Again, this is rarely caused by golf and is more commonly a problem for people who work with their hands, especially tradesman, gardeners etc.

As with the tennis elbow, the tendon on the inside of the forearm tears slightly and hurts, a lot. If golf has caused golfers elbow, it happens as you swing the club down to hit the ball, especially if the club gets caught in the turf/sand. The arm furthest from the ball is the one that is affected as the wrist is forcibly extended. This pulls the muscles on the inside of the forearm which in turn pulls the tendon resulting in a tear. The picture below should help explain.

Treatment

If you are unfortunate enough to suffer from tennis or golfers elbow fear not as it can be treated successfully with chiropractic treatment without the need for surgery or cortisone (steroid) injections. 

However, it can take several months to get back to normality, especially if your work/hobbies irritate it. The treatment involves fairly painful muscle and tendon massage with home exercises to keep the muscles and tendons flexible and strong.

Prevention

Whoever said prevention is better than cure probably suffered from tennis or golfers elbow. These problems are so easy to prevent with some simple stretches.

The following stretches should be performed by all tennis players and golfers before they play and anyone who works with their hands. Zoe and I always do these stretches before we start seeing patients, every day.

Hold them for 30-40 seconds and do two of each on each arm.

Summary

• Tennis and golfers elbow are horrible, painful injuries that anyone can get, not just tennis players and golfers.
  

• Chiropractic treatment can fix these issues but treatment hurts and it can take a while.
  

• It's much easier, cheaper and less painful to prevent these problems with simple stretching than to treat them.
  

Any questions please email me: [email protected]

Happy stretching!

Matthew