Your Neck & The Golf Swing
How many times have you heard this from a golf pro (or a well meaning but nonetheless annoying golf partner): “Keep your head still”? Or how about: “You picked your head up”? Have you ever actually thought about what that means?
It means that you must move nearly every joint in your lower body, torso, and upper body (ankle, knee, hip, low back, mid back, neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist) but keep your head as still as possible – and keep your eye on the dang ball no less! Now, each of these joints is important in the golf swing but the most important area in keeping your head still during the swing is your neck.
Turn your head to the left as far as you can. Go ahead, do it right now. See how your chin gets closer to your left shoulder? That’s the motion your neck takes during the backswing. It is true that your head stays still (ideally…) but look at all the motion in your neck joints! Taking care of those joints is extremely important if you plan to play golf as a “lifetime sport”.
Decreases in neck range of motion happen for a variety of different reasons – many of which can be evaluated and treated by a chiropractor. We’ll do a thourough examination of the tissues making up your neck – especially the joints. Using manual procedures, we can “unstick” neck joints that aren’t moving correctly. You’ll feel a difference immediately!
So, if your round of golf has become a literal pain in the neck, give me a call. We’ll loosen up the joints an muscles in your neck and upper back and you’ll be swinging better in no time.
See you on the course!
Dr. Craig