Source: https://www.golfchannel.com/news/2021-masters-brooks-koepka-going-play-through-knee-pain-there-will-be-awkward-moments
Introduction
There are a number of reasons why pain or injury can negatively impact your golf game. Often injuries can be with you for a short period, or in some cases, many years. Below are the 5 ways how it can affect your performance. 1. Leads to physical limitations Injuries and pain can restrict your movement and affect your physical abilities, making it challenging to execute consistent golf swings. For example, a shoulder injury might limit your range of motion, affecting your ability to achieve the desired swing path and it may disrupt your arm structure. Brooks Koepka was very public about how his right knee injury affected his golf game. Due to this injury, he was unable to load his right side and make a full backswing. Brooks is now almost completely recovered and he is playing his best golf again.
2. Creates loss of strength and flexibility When you're injured, you may be unable to engage in regular physical activity or participate in golf-specific exercises. This can lead to a loss of strength and flexibility, which are crucial for generating clubhead speed, maintaining balance, and achieving consistent ball-striking. Also when you have pain, your body sounds alarm bells. These alarm bells stop you from stretching and recruiting your muscles to their peak potential to protect yourself from further injury. 3. May cause increasing discomfort Injuries often come with discomfort which can become worse if you decide to play and practice without any medical advice. This discomfort is obviously distracting and can interfere with your focus and concentration during a round of golf. Varying pain signals can make it challenging to maintain a consistent swing tempo and rhythm, resulting in decreased performance. Every time to play without being 100%, you run the risk of making the site of pain worse or create harm to other body parts.
4. Influences mental concentration and health
Dealing with an injury can have a significant mental and psychological impact on your game. It can create fear or hesitation in your swing, as you may be concerned about exacerbating the injury or making it worse. This fear can lead to tentative swings and a lack of confidence.
Furthermore if your injury affects you being able to participate in your regular hobbies and exercise, you may get symptoms of stress and anxiety.
5. Alters your mechanics
You may find that you naturally modify your swing mechanics to avoid aggravating the affected body part. These alterations can be detrimental to your ball striking. Small changes in grip, posture, swing length or weight transfer can lead to a variety of poor shots.
Do you want to decrease your pain now?
It's important to seek proper medical attention and follow a rehabilitation program to recover from injuries promptly.
If you want to streamline your recovery book an assessment with me face-to-face or online. I’m also offering 15% off assessments for this month as a way of saying thank you to my audience.
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Thanks so much for reading, Billy Troy
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