More news from the golf course; Stude et al. have published the findings of a written survey of 402 recreational golfers who completed a survey.

• 4 of 5 (80%) were male and 90% were of working age. 19 were younger than 20, 26 older than 60. 47% had previously had chiropractic care.
• most carried their own clubs and 90% played 3 times a week.
• 9 of 10 (89%) wore spiked shoes when playing. These give stability but add stress to the joints in the foot, leg and back.
• 1 in 8 (12%) reported past injury while playing golf, about 1 in 3 (33%) reported pain that interfered with their enjoyment of the game. Most common areas of discomfort after playing were the back (26%), feet (11%), shoulder (9%), knee (8%) and neck (6%).
• Over half (56%) already exercised regularly to maintain their physical condition, but approximately half (47%) said they would also be willing to attend a specific golf fitness program.

Stude and his colleagues suggest that;

• Amateur golfers most frequently complain of back pain/injuries, professionals most commonly of wrist pain/injuries. Foot and knee problems are also common.
• Lower extremity and back problems may be related to use of stamdard spiked golf shoes that restrict movement, stress joints, and are not adapted to the needs of the individual. In a previous study Stude and Brink provided golfers with custom made orthotics for 6 weeks. This was shown to improve balance and body symmetry, reduce fatigue associated with playing 9 holes of simulated golf, improve gait patterns by influencing pelvic rotation and stride length and improve performance in terms of club head velocity and driving distance.

In conclusion then, amateur golfers get more back pain than the pros. Better physical conditioning and better technique probably account for this, and orthotics help improve your game on a number of levels.

For more info about the treatment of back pain and orthotic prescription see www.thewsc.co.uk and give us a call.

Mark Kennedy