National Men’s Health Month: Aging Male Joint Pain
June is National Men’s Health Month, which makes it a perfect time to talk about joint pain in men. We all know of at least one man who has a ‘bum knee’ or old sports injury that keeps them from enjoying life to the fullest. Men need to take their health serious, especially as age takes it’s toll. Aging male joint pain is a major problem, and something you don’t have to suffer from!
If you are like most golfers, you would like more distance, better control and more endurance in your game. In addition, if you want to keep playing for a long time, you want to prevent the common repetitive motion injuries from swinging the club. How many times have you completed your round only to feel like you’ve been beaten up? The good news is that research has shown that you can improve your game and prevent fatigue and injuries by balancing the foundation of your body.
Most acute and chronic injuries are traced to a breakdown in the kinetic chain. All your body parts are interconnected, with one part affecting another. Your body’s kinetic chain is never more important than in the golf swing where repeatability and consistency dictate your success or failure. During the golf swing, your entire body goes through a sequential movement cycle that consists of five distinct phases that are essential for consistent impact with the golf ball
Tid Bits of Info on “Low Impact” Golf
- A golfer can walk more than 10,000 steps and burn 2000 calories by simply “walking” a round of golf and “carry” the clubs.
- Club speed during a swing of an amateur averages between 70-80 mph and a professional 90-100 mph.
- Injuries rate can be as high as 40% for amateurs and 90% for professionals.
- Amateur golfers achieve approximately 90 percent of their peak muscular activity when driving a golf ball.
- Seek the advice of a Physical Therapist if you experience an injury during golf season or need tips on how to prepare for it.
Injuries in golf are very common and it does not matter if you are a professional or amateur. Some studies indicate that as many as 40% of all amateurs and 90% of professionals will experience some kind of injury during the upcoming season. The most common injuries occur to the lumbar spine in both amateurs and professionals. Amateurs tend to injure their upper extremity in all joints where the professional is more apt to hurt their wrists and hands. The lead side of the body, i.e. left side of a right handed golfer, is at least 5x more susceptible to suffering an injury when compared to the trail side.
Sports Medicine Treatments for Joint Pain
Physical therapy and conventional injections are often recommended for joint pain due to sports injury. At Michigan Sports & Spine Center, we have a cutting edge treatment that can actually help HEAL the injury. PRP & Stem Cell injections are the latest in an arsenal of technique that are used to promote faster, natural healing of the body.
If you are a golfer with joint pain, we have solutions for you! Don’t let an old injury slow you down or ruin your competitive edge. Call us today!