Preventing
Injuries During the Golden Years of Golf
By Larry Foster, M.D., F.A.A.O.S.
(“Dr. Divot”)
Golf is a
unique sport in that it is actually more
appealing to us as players as we get older.
You don’t see too many rugby leagues for folks in their Golden Years,
but older golfers do represent one of the fastest growing segments of the
golfing population. There are about six
million U.S.
golfers over age fifty. Furthermore,
while older golfers account for about one-quarter of all golfers, they play
about half of the total annual rounds
in the United States.
For so
many reasons, golf is quite popular among older players. The sport’s unique handicap system allows for
a “level” playing field, so that low and high handicap players, as well as
younger and older players, can play together and still have fun
“competing”. Also, as we get older we
tend to have more time. The kids no
loner have Little League games on Saturday, and the workloads at our jobs tend
to lighten up as the young bulls step in—all of which means more time for
golf. Finally, we all know that playing
golf isn’t cheap, and older players may have the disposable income to make golf
more affordable. Maybe life is fair
after all.
All this
sounds pretty rosy until you consider one fact: older golfers play golf with
older bodies, and this can sometimes lead to problems. Large surveys of amateur golfers have
revealed that the injury rate is significantly higher for golfers over age
fifty (65 percent injury rate) than it is for golfers younger than fifty (58
percent injury rate).
Older
golfers are not only more likely to be injured while playing golf, they are
also more likely to have so-called incidental
injuries—aches and pains from ailment that are not caused by golf but that
nonetheless compromise golf performance, and enjoyment. None of this should come as a big
surprise. We all carry with us the
effects of wear and tear. Wouldn’t it be
nice if we could leave those ailments in the clubhouse locker along with our
street shoes?
Aging is
a poorly understood process that affects all of the body’s systems. Some of the changes we see in the aging
individual include decreased performance of the nervous system (a twenty
percent slowing of the speed of nerve impulse conduction), cardiac system (a thirty
percent drop in heart pumping efficiency) and
muscular system (a progressive decline in lean muscle mass by thirty
percent and a decrease in muscle strength by 50 percent between age thirty and
eighty).
If all
this doom-and-gloom statistics about aging makes you want to curl up on the
couch and wait for the Grim Reaper, take heart.
The fact is that a significant degree of age-related decline in body
function can be slowed, and perhaps even prevented, by regular exercise. The fact
that you are reading an article about golf rather than one about the finer
points of pinochle is a good start. It
indicates that despite being older you are physically active and interested in
staying that way.
Many
sports medicine experts recommend strength training for golfers of all
ages—especially for the older golfer.
These exercise regimens need not involve expensive gym equipment and
personal trainers named Klaus.
Home-based programs using light weights, rubber tubing, and so on, can
work just fine. To prove this point,
there are a few published reports in the medical literature that show how a modest exercise program of light
aerobics, stretching, and flexibility (working out two or three times a week
for an hour or so each session) can have a dramatic effect on the health of
older golfers. After as few as eight
weeks, golfers were noted to exhibit decreases in body fat, decreased blood
pressure, and up to a fifty percent increase in muscle strength. To make things even sweeter, the exercise
program resulted in an average club head speed increase of six percent!
Since the
older golfer is not only more prone to injury but also tends to heal more
slowly once injured, it is crucial for the senior player to be aware of the
factors that lead to injury for all
recreational golfers. These are the
ingredients to what I call Dr. Divot’s Recipe
for Injury:
·
Poor
physical conditioning
·
Overuse
(excessive practice or play)
·
Inadequate
or improper warm-up
·
Poor
swing technique
So, take
the following advice to help ensure that your Golden Years will be ones spent
enjoying golf with your friends and not sitting on the sideline in pain. First, consult with your physician about a
basic fitness program that will prepare your body for the rigors of the
game. Next, avoid the temptation to
overdo it—both one the golf course and at the practice range. When you do practice or play, make sure to
stretch and warm up thoroughly (a proper warm-up and “head to toe” stretching
routine is outlined in Dr. Divot’s Guide
to Golf Injuries). Finally, consult
your local golf pro for lessons and to identify swing imperfections that may
increase the risk of injuries.
Larry Foster, M.D.,
F.A.A.O.S., is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and self-described golf
nut.
Trained at Columbia University and the Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York, Dr. Foster is
the author of Dr. Divot’s Guide to Golf
Injuries—A Handbook for Golf Injury Prevention and Treatment. Written in a humorous “plain-English” style,
Dr. Divot’s Guide teaches the reader how to prevent and treat the most common
golf injuries.
Visit Dr. Divot’s website at: www.doctordivotmd.com.
Or call:
1-800-247-6553 ($19.95).
The articles at GolfFitnessProducts.net
are for informational purposes only and are not intended to substitute
for direct examination and exercise prescription by the appropriate
health professional. It is strongly recommended that you do not
perform any exercise program without the consent of your personal physician.
