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Sports Massage for Golfers
Golf, once considered to be a mainly mental pursuit, is now understood to be both an intellectual and physical endeavor. It is important to keep your body in good condition in order to play your best game while avoiding injuries. You can keep in perfect shape for getting out on the green by actively stretching and by getting sports massage specifically designed for golfers. Lithe, elongated muscles allow you to stretch back to prepare for a swing, while strong core muscles, such as the psoas, help you maintain your posture and help you follow through with your swing. Darcy is one of the few massage therapists in the area who is trained to work with this very important muscle, which will be discussed in a future post).
Flexibility in the neck and shoulders can prevent muscles from tightening up during release, which will not only lessen a chance of a sprain or a tear, but will also prepare you for a full swing. Likewise, keeping hands and wrists flexible will allow for an easier grip, and can prevent injuries such as carpal tunnel, tendonitis, and hook of the hamate fractures. Make sure to practice proper stance and balance while swinging, as well, to avoid ankle, knee, and foot injuries, such as the intermetatarsal neuromas that can occur in a golfer’s non-dominant foot, or ankle pains that can occur as a result of excessive motion of the rear foot while following through a swing.
Golf veterans and trainers, as well as massage professionals, suggest stretching both before and after play in order to warm and relax muscles, and prevent potential injury. Many golf veterans and trainers also swear by sports massage therapy that targets potential problem areas and commonly used muscle groups. Sports massage for golfers both helps to prevent future injuries, and heightens future performance by warming up, elongating, and increasing the flexibility of important muscles.
