KNEE INJURIES IN GOLF
After posting of today's segment, this latest article was discovered. "Tiger has admitted to Golf Digest that the injury first occurred when he partook in "X-Games-style" activities as a boy growing up in SoCal".
Golf looks like a very laid back type of game and it is indeed a lot less demanding than, say, running. While it is still somewhat physical, people normally do not expect to incur serious
knee injuries that lead to surgeries.
According to the
Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine and Science, "there has been an increase in sports related injuries, particularly to the lower limbs". Rupture of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) "has been the commonest, and has the greatest potential to cause both short term and long term disability".
As we have stated from the very beginning and in our previous articles, the number one cause of majority of sports related injuries is incorrect technique. Unless you got an elbow in your face, a kick in your shin or anything else along those lines, majority of other aches and problems come from not knowing the proper mechanics of a human body. For example, the
Achilles tendon, the largest tendon of the human body is incredibly strong and can function perfectly for a lifetime if it's allowed to move properly. However, it is easily damaged when it is involved in incorrect movement like
heel striking in running. The
knees, the largest joints of the human body are perfectly set up to flex with movement directed front and back, when knees are twisted, straightened and forced to move side to side they easily give in.
In golf, where it looks like not much is going on physically, a simple repetition of a not necessarily physically taxing, but incorrect move (what's up with the hip twist and push?) will eventually lead to an overuse injury and you can bet on it. It is only a matter of time.
Unfortunately, until the
injury really sets in and gets bad, some athletes choose to ignore the subtle or not so subtle warning signs and aches. A driven and a mentally strong high caliber athletes like
Tiger Woods for example, can and do power through the pain and play with it for months. He even said so himself in one of his interviews. That's admirable but completely unnecessary and is absolutely the worst thing to do, because it is all downhill from there. But if addressed in a timely and proper manner, most movement related injuries are relatively easy to heal through correction of movement and prescription of specific exercises.
If you keep in mind the definition of an overuse injury, it becomes obvious that all overuse injuries can be corrected by simply fixing the incorrect pattern of movement. In running for example, getting rid of
shin splints,
knee,
ankle and
hip injuries is as simple as modifying your running form according to
Pose Running, which to this day is the only running technique
scientifically proven to reduce load on knees by half.
According to the
Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine and Science, "the most common cause of ACL rupture is a traumatic force being applied to the knee in a twisting moment". Woods says he injured his ACL running at home after 2007 British Open. What he is not wanting to admit to is that the 2007 incident at home was simply the culmination when his knee finally gave in. If you look at his videos, you will see that the link between his left knee problems and his technique is very direct and pretty obvious. At least to us, here at Pose Tech.
Many surgeries within the last several years on one and the same left knee are the best confirmation. It can only mean one thing - there is an ongoing problem that is directly the result of something that is being consistently done. It's a classic overuse injury that would go away in a matter of weeks, but only if addressed correctly. Now, post surgery, it is even more important to correct the faulty movement, otherwise the problem will come back, and it will happen faster than before.
One can come up with all sorts of explanations and reasons, but the truth is very simple, the first bad link in the chain that leads to an injury is an incorrect movement of the body that is not in tune with all involved forces. When the movement is not the proper one for the given circumstances, various problems immediately or not so immediately, but do occur. Pushing, forcing, twisting are all elements of bad technique. Over time, these seemingly little things compound into a bigger scenario the inevitable conclusion to which is overuse injuries and more.
Woods stated “My doctors assure me with the proper rehabilitation and training, the knee will be strong and there will be no long-term effects.” Well that's the key word, isn't it? PROPER.
According to NBC Sports, doctors told Woods the preferred treatment was three weeks on crutches, followed by three weeks of rest. This can't be for real, what kind of doctors are those? That sounds like a sure way to atrophy rather than recovery. It's the lamest plan of action ever. Now that Tiger Woods is back and playing, we'll get to see what happens from here on.
Woods is naturally talented and his talent has taken him this far, but as it always goes, even the most talented athletes eventually succumb to overuse injuries and not even their strong characters and determination can help them.
This is when the importance of proper technique becomes painfully obvious. As we always have said, technique is the cornerstone of any sport, and unless the problems with the technique itself are properly addressed, the injuries would persist and eventually break down the strongest, the best and the most talented among us.
All treatments, physical therapy and whatever else will initially appear to help and while the athlete is not playing, there might be no aches, no problems, seemingly nothing to worry about. Overuse injuries, however, have very simple mechanics and unless the problem in movement itself is addressed properly, the overuse injuries will persist. Pure logic.
Mr. Woods, to save your knee and get a new lease on your already amazing career, please address your virtually perfect swing technique, there are a couple of issues. There is something else we would like to recommend which would add power to your swing (is that really possible?! oh yeah! you could double your power, imagine that!), but we'll save it for a private consultation. Call us.
Article by Dr. Nicholas Romanov
Composed by L. Romanov
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