One of the great things Don does is send out a daily email lesson. I was struck by today’s lesson (read it here) and wanted to share a few thoughts.

Working with golfers who come to my chiropractic clinic to get help with their golf injuries I’ve come to realize that there is no such thing as muscle memory. I smile every time Don mentions this as it seems he and I are among the few that realize this is really true.

I love Don’s Surgeisms and had a “Know Your Place in Space” meltdown on the course Thursday. For some reason my brain and body were not communicating. Probable had to do with the cold medicine I took. It had a profound effect on my vision, my ability to square up. And when I took the club back I thought I was on plane but the results of my shots showed me otherwise.

My analysis was that this occurred because my proprioceptive system was off kilter. Proprioceptive it part of our senses. It’s the way the body monitors where every joint IS and what each of them are DOING. When it doesn’t work properly we feel uncoordinated and what we intend to do is not what we actually do.

If my case I was telling my body to bring the club to the catcher’s mitt and up the tree keeping the club light yet I wasn’t able to do this. I know because my arms were sore, sore, sore the next day and I the club felt heavy during my swing. The other interesting factor was the club felt like it was going all over the place on my backswing. The cold product I took messed with my visual perception skewing my ability to perceive parallel. Nothing “looked” right when I addressed the ball.

It was one of those rounds that you turn into a practice round. At one point, as my arms got heavier and heavier due to having the club laid off, even though I thought it was in the right place the only club I could hit was a 6 iron. It was a humbling experience considering how well I’d played and how far and straight I’d hit the ball just 3 days before.

I’m sure some of you have experienced something similar. I hope this helps you understand that there are certain things that can interfere with your visual perception and when that happens the messages the go from your brain to your muscles and joints are just plain wrong. That’s the real reason you cannot execute the task you have in mind.

Regards Ted Edwards DC

Along the way I’ve subscribed to Golf Digest, purchased all kinds of golf books, and checked out numerous books from the library. Lessons – lots of them. Did Natural golf, one plane, two plane, this tilt, that tilt yatta, yatta.

At this moment in time I’m playing the best golf and most enjoyable golf of my life. Here’s what i attribute this to.

In my search for “my swing” I found a teacher I could understand and related to. Don Trahan and his Peak Performance Golf Swing. Don performs a great service to the game of golf and if you want receive great instruction of the vertical swing, which is both simply and healthy for your body please check him out.

I also learned that I don’t want to listen, read or otherwise entertain other instruction. Don is my coach, mentor and instructor – not Hank Haney, that mouthy guy in the foursome, or any other source.

Many of you may know and appreciate David Leadbetter’s contributions to the game of golf. Awhile back he introduced his Swing Setter – which I acquired. I’ve found this to be a valuable tool which I use regularly.

During one of my golf book forays at the library I came across John Novosel’s “Tour Tempo Golf.” This is a must have and must understand concept that makes undeniable sense. I was so delighted when they released the Tour Tempo App for my iPhone. How convenient.

It’s great to warm up by integrating Don’s Peak Performance Golf Swing, using David’s Swing Setter while listening to and swing with John’s Tour Tempo.

Recently I came across a device called the Tally Mind Set. I really delved into the web site. Watched all the videos. Searched You Tube and watched everything I could find there too. I decided to try it One of the challenges Tally gives us is 5 birdies in a row. As a bogey golfer I translated that to 5 pars in a row. I’m happy with 1 or 2 a round. Three days into using the Tally Tool I pared 5 in a row. I was amazed. I recently did 4 in a row and it’s clear that this tool is helping me improve.

My formula for a successful, repeatable golf swing that goes long and straight is: Trahan’s Peak Performance Golf Swing + Leadbetter’s Swing Setter + Tally Mind Set + Novesel’s Tour Tempo Golf.

While I’m at it let’s not forget The Putt Doctor and Stan Utley for the short game.

Go Low – Ted Edwards DC – The Golf Doctor

I now have a set of clubs (Tour Edge – Wide Soles) that I can hit well from LW to 3i. This has enabled me to improve my GIR stat.

Everything was going along smoothly when all of sudden I couldn’t make solid contact with the ball. The dreaded Sh….’s appeared. What was I doing wrong? I wondered. I went to the range. No help. I found a practice area where I could hit full 9′s – oh no, what the heck is going on?

To go from feeling powerful and in control of my swing and game to this – oh the emotional  roller coaster ride of golf.

Don Trahan has drilled into me that the problem was most likely to be found in my set up.

Today was my day off and I wanted to play badly. It was a dry, but threatening fall Seattle day. I decided I’d best go to the range and find out where the balls were going. Oh no! Not that again. I finished the bucket without figuring anything out and decided to go to another range near-by that I felt more comfortable at.

I started off poorly. Wham, I hit a good shot. I checked my set up to see if I could discern what had changed. It was my GRIP! My thumb was rolled over to the right further. A shift of only 1pm to 2pm. A shift from a weak grip to a slightly stronger one.

This tiny, simple change made all the difference in the world. All of a sudden the balls were flying staight and the distances I’d been used to albeit 5 yrds less due to the colder temperature.

I was really shocked to realize that this minor adjustment could cause shot an improvement. I found myself thinking, “How can I mark my grips so I’ll make sure to put my thumb in the right place.”

Guess Don is right when he says, if you’re not hitting it well there’s probably a problem with your grip, stance, or alignment – your set-up!

As more and more of us head out to the links it behooves us to understand how a healthy flexible back can make the game of Golf much more enjoyable. Lowing your risk of injury is just as important as lowering your score and handicap. The following article orginally written by Steve Horwitz of Maryland Sports Injury Center explores how having a healthy back can impact not only your Golf game, but your life.

GOLFER’S BACK

As amateur golfers, many of us have something in common with Jack Nicklaus and Lee Travino – a bad back. If you are among those who have already experienced episodes of this affliction, then you know how debilitating it can be. Low back pain accounts for almost 25% of all athletic injuries. In the western world, 80% of the population will experience disabling low back pain during their lives.

Back pain is now second only to the common cold as a cause of employee absenteeism and, in 1992, cost the U.S. economy $60 billion. A 1989 workers’ compensation study from Liberty Mutual revealed the average cost of a low back pain case was $8,321. Low back pain clearly represents the single greatest and most inefficient expenditure of health care resources in our society today.

Understanding the anatomy of the back will help you understand why and how back problems occur. The spine is composed of 24 bones called vertebrae. The lower back or lumbar spine has five vertebrae. In-between each pair of vertebrae are cushions called discs. The main responsibility of the disc is to absorb the compressive forces to which the spine is subjected.

There are three main muscle groups of the back. The muscles which parallel the spine are called the erector spinae. They, as the name suggests, keep the spine erect. They lift you up from a bent forward position. The quadratus lumborum is a deep muscle which runs from the lower ribs to the hip bone on each side. It helps you breath in air and side bends you. The hip flexors, or iliopsoas, run from the front of the lumbar spine to the thigh bone or femur. This muscle helps lift the knee up and is used when doing a full sit-up (more on this later).

Most back pain is preventable and often is caused by too little exercise, over exertion, overuse, poor form, lack of flexibility, and poor posture. Smoking and obesity are also implicated. These may result in arthritic or degenerative changes in the spine, disc herniations (commonly called slipped discs), muscle spasms, spinal joint irritation and dysfunction and nerve irritation. Non-musculoskeletal and potentially more serious problems like cancer, kidney disease, gallbladder disease, prostate disorders (all men over 40 should have a prostate examination yearly), ovarian and uterine disorders and aortic rupture may also cause back pain. A thorough examination to properly diagnose back pain is essential.

Golf requires a repetitive, one-sided torquing of the spine. This eventually expresses itself as “Golf Body,” or a change in one’s posture due to muscular imbalances and lack of flexibility. This problem is actually worse in amateurs because of poor swing mechanics thus causing a greater load or stress on the lumbar spine. Remember, the average golfer will hit 50 full swing shots in a typical 18 hole match.

In his book, The Egosque Method of Healing In Motion, Peter Egoesque writes, “unless golf faces up to the indifference it has traditionally shown to the body and its proper functioning, the booming interest in golf won’t last. The sport will be swamped in pain. Thirty and forty-year-olds who are now heading for the fairways in droves are the least functional generation who has ever teed up a golf ball. They bring dysfunction… by playing hour after hour, day after day, and this repetitive compensation motion injures them.”

Over time these changes may cause spinal arthritis may develop. The discs narrow and wear out and the vertebrae crumble often forming spurs which narrow and compress the area through which the spinal cord and nerves pass.

A disc herniation occurs when the outer wall of the disc weakens and the jelly like middle causes that outer wall to bulge out. The middle may even squirt out and form a separate fragment, like a piece of floating cartilage in the knee. This bulging may “pinch” the nerve exiting from the spinal cord or the spinal cord itself.

Most commonly, lower back pain is caused by a sprain and strain of the ligaments and muscles of the back causing spinal joint irritation and dysfunction and muscle spasm. Most of these injuries may be prevented by making some changes in your lifestyle and golfing habits.

If you are overweight, you must lose the spare tire. This additional weight puts tremendous pressure on the spine and discs. Recently, I had the opportunity to spend a day with Rocco Mediate at the TPC course at Sawgrass in Jacksonville, Florida. He had lumbar disc surgery one and a half years ago and underwent a rigorous rehabilitation program which included losing 50lbs.!

Smoking, believe it or not, may increase the risk of lower back problems because nicotine decreases the blood supply to the spine. Which is more important, your golf game or smoking? Maybe this can be your impetuous for quitting.

Many golfers are simply out of shape. Too many of us play a sport to get or stay in shape. It should be the reverse- you must get in shape to play a sport and this includes golf. This means a complete exercise program including aerobic exercise (20 minutes a day, three times a week), strength training (twice a week working on all the major muscle groups) and stretching.

A critical area for golfers is the midsection meaning the abdominals, the twisting muscles or obliques and the lower back muscles. Strengthen all of these, not only the abdominals, as a strong midsection will be able to handle all the torquing of the golf swing. See the exercises described at the end of the article.

Avoid the golf cart as the sitting position puts 40% more pressure on the discs than standing. It also causes you to cool down after each shot. Walk the course with a pull-cart as this will keep you warmed-up.

One thing which I find is almost never done by both professionals and amateurs is a proper warm-up. This means walking for at least five minutes, stretching after the walk and then swinging a club gently. Try gently swinging from the opposite side 10-20 times to balance the one-sidedness of your regular stroke. The warm-up is crucial to injury prevention.

If you have back problems, try a long putter. The bent over and crouched position of putting puts much stress on the back.

Try cutting down on your swing in the more classic swing style. The “caddie swing” allows more control and puts less strain on the lower back.

Initial treatment for lower back problems is to stop your activity and ice the lower back for 20 minutes. Lie on your back with your knees bent directly on the ice pack. Gently try pulling one knee to your chest and hold that position for five seconds. Repeat this five times with each leg.

If the home care does not work, you may want to see a chiropractor. Chiropractic is a natural health care method that stresses the importance of keeping all the systems of the body functioning efficiently so the player enjoys peak performance, a minimum injury risk, and fast recuperative powers. The primary treatment of the Doctor of Chiropractic is an adjustment (manipulation) to those areas of the spine or surrounding joints which are slightly displaced and fail to function normally. Given by hand (the word chiropractic means “done by hand”), the adjustment will restore proper alignment and function to the spinal joints, thereby restoring the normal nerve transmission and healing potential to the vital structures of the body.

TREATMENT OPTIONS: I now offer you the opportunity to receive Golf Swing Analysis and Corrective Treatment right at the driving range. We will meet at a driving range convenient to both of us – usually Lynnwood. I will observe you as you actually hit balls and make on-the-spot corrections to improve you muscle strength, coordination and balance. My clients tell me the results speak for themselves. My fee is $85 for 1/2 hour, which includes my driving time to and from the range. If you would like to find out more about this Treatment call

EDMONDS CHIROPRACTIC THERAPY CLINIC

425 776 8657

The game of golf does not produce the number of serious injuries which are common in more vigorous sporting activities. However, golf injuries do warrant attention. It is quite common for recreational golfers to complain of lower back pain after the season’s first round. Second only to lower back pain are elbow injuries.

This condition plagues not only golfers, but tennis players, bowlers, mechanics or anyone who uses frequent rotary movements of the forearm. It is caused by excessive strain on the muscles of the forearm, which run from the wrist to the elbow. These muscles produce forward and backward movement at the wrist.

There are two types of elbow problems, which are termed medial and lateral epicondylitis. Lateral epicondylitis or tennis elbow is also the most common elbow problem in golfers. It occurs in the outside arm, e.g. on the left elbow of a right-handed golfer. The motion of the left arm is similar to a tennis backhand stroke. It is most prevalent in novice players. This movement stresses the muscles that straighten or extend the wrist and fingers. They attach on the outer side of the elbow and are called your wrist extensors.

Pain usually begins at the outer bony prominence at the elbow (lateral epicondyle) and can spread all the way down the forearm. Forehand tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow is common in professional players. It occurs on the inside arm, ie. on the right elbow of a right-handed golfer. This movement strains the muscles that bend the wrist foreword (flexion) and allow you to make a fist. These muscles attach at the bony prominence on the inside of the elbow (medial epicondyle) and are called your wrist flexors. Pain begins in this area and may spread down the forearm.

Golfers who grip the club too tightly or who smash the ball are most likely to suffer this injury. Overuse is also a major cause of epicondylitis. Considering that serious players hit about 500 shots per day and you can see why this injury is so common. The force of hitting the ball travels from the club to the forearm and ends up at the elbow tendon. Over time this causes a small rip or tear in the muscle/tendon. If this tear is allowed to recur every few days it becomes inflamed and proper healing is interrupted. This continued use propagates the tear and symptoms worsen.

Small areas of scar tissue develop called trigger points. Even every day activities like opening a car door or lifting that morning cup of coffee interrupt normal healing. Also remember, the older you are, the slower the healing process. This means that more rest and rehabilitation is needed.The first part of treatment is proper evaluation of the injury. Initially you must rest and relieve the inflammation. Always ice the area immediately after you feel pain and stop playing! Too many people continue to play only to pay the next day. Adhesions form in the muscles around the elbow. This scar tissue must be broken up to allow the tissue to heal properly.

A technique originated by Dr. Ted Edwards (Chiroted) that breaks up these adhesions in the muscles, is called “Propriocussion.” This therapeutic application allows blood to flow to the injured area to get rid of the scar tissue and supply nutrients for healing. Chiropractic adjustments to the neck, shoulder, elbow and hand are usually needed to restore proper joint motion. A proper strength and stretching program is important to restoring function to the involved area. This includes wrist curls (pulling a weight palm up), wrist extensions (extending the wrist from a palm down position), pronation and supination (turning the wrist from palm up to palm down) and stretching of the wrist flexors and extensors.

I just had a rather surprising experience with one of my clients I wanted to share with you. My client came in with a burning pain in her upper arm. The pain was so bad that she had been unable to sleep for several nights. She was also unable to use the arm to wash the dishes, do her hair, and she certainly couldn’t play golf.

The first thing I did was an application of propriocussion as this typically provides immediate relief. And, while it did help, there were several positions that the client couldn’t move her arm into that this course of treatment didn’t relieve. I applied Laser therapy which also helped a little more, but after I returned to check her arm after treating the burning in her feet, we found that the relief provided by the laser had beena short lived.

Than I remembered having used my percussor on the head of one client so I decided to use this approach as nothing had been fully successful to that point.

I first percussed over the right parietal bone which did nothing. Than I percuissed over her left parietal bone and found a point that the patient felt in her ailing arm. As I continued to percuss this point, her pain began to dissipate. My client was able to lift her arm normally. As she lowered it, the pain returned. I did another application of propriocussion over the left parietal finding a point that again the client felt. Within a few minutes this treatment provided complete relief.

My client sat up, moved her arm through normal ranges of motion and was both thrilled and amazed that she no longer had any pain or discomfort. As she was leaving she reached for the door handle and declared I couldn’t do this just a few minutes ago. And I cannot believe how much more energy I have.