August is National Golf Month

See us when you tee up!

Dr. Michael E. Pomykala PT, DPT, CSCS

There’s no better way to celebrate National Golf Month than to play golf, so head out to the driving range and hit a bucket of balls at 21 Golf or Bogota Golf Center. If it’s too hot outside, you can play at some of the best indoor golf facilities in our area, such as Players Club Virtual Golf in Paramus, GOLFTEC in Englewood and Topgolf in Edison. Wherever you go to enjoy this rewarding sport, keep in mind that golf fitness is about playing your best without causing injury. To help my patients achieve that goal, I earned a Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) Medical 2 Certification, which gives me the knowledge to help you learn to achieve your highest personal golf fitness level, improve performance, and prevent and treat injuries.

Golf requires a lot of time and effort, not to mention a great deal of skill, mental fortitude and perseverance to excel at it. The explosive nature of the swing can put a tremendous amount of stress on the body, and a majority of professional golfers have experienced some sort of nagging injury at one time or another in their careers. Tiger Woods, Paula Creamer, Kevin Chappell, and Graham DeLaet, among others, have suffered from carpal tunnel syndrome, back, shoulder and knee injuries.

At Scerbo Physical Therapy & Sports Rehabilitation we are specially trained to help you not only avoid injury, but also to improve your golf game. Our TPI Certified program is helpful for golfers ranging from weekend enthusiasts to professional players. This August, why not celebrate National Golf Month by learning how you could improve your play and, most importantly, how you can prevent injuries.

The most common factors that contribute to golf swing injuries are:

• Overuse and over-practice
• Poor swing mechanics
• Over-swinging
• Not warming up the muscles properly
• Rotational stresses placed on the spine
• Incorrect grip and setup
• Traumatic force to the body resulting from a poorly executed swing

Common Injuries:

These factors can lead to painful injuries such as back pain, elbow tendinitis, knee pain, rotator cuff, wrist, hand, neck, ankle and hip injuries.

Type of Treatments:

Among the possible treatments are rest, medication, therapy, bracing, cortisone, surgery.

Prevention:

Many common golf injuries can be prevented by working on improving swing mechanics, participating in golf-specific conditioning programs, buying properly fitted equipment, avoiding long practice sessions, always performing a warm-up routine before practice and play. Gaining control of your core will also give you much better control of your balance, arms, and hips, giving you the ability to achieve a better swing and follow through during your game.

Our Program:

At Scerbo Physical Therapy & Sports Rehabilitation we are specially trained to help you not only avoid injury, but also to improve your golf game. Our Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) Certified program is helpful for golfers ranging from weekend enthusiasts to professional players. Our physical therapists will evaluate and identify weaknesses in your body and problems with your core strength, body mechanics, and posture. Once problems are identified, your therapist will work with you to treat and help you correct these problems. Working on your treatment plan with your therapist will help you prevent injuries that can occur during the golf swing.

Our TPI Certified program will help you achieve an efficient swing through what Titleist terms the Body-Swing Connection.  We will do a full screening and assessment of your swing mechanics and biomechanics, physical fitness, movement quality, current health and medical history. Our physical screening includes the spine, pelvis, shoulders, wrists, hips, and ankles, assessing both mobility and stability. The results of this screening are used to create a plan unique to you. If you do get injured, on the course or in another area in your life, our physical therapists at Scerbo can help you recover quickly and get back to your game.

To schedule your screening and assessment visit our office or call us at 201-941-2240 or email me at [email protected] to speak in more detail about our TPI Certified program.