Long thought of as a “cushy†pastime, golf actually causes an alarmingly high number of injuries. During the golf swing, our muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints are stressed to near full capacity as we accelerate the golf club head to nearly one hundred miles per hour in less than half a second. In fact, the injury rate for recreational golfers is an astounding sixty percent—and even higher for golfers over age fifty.
Contrary to popular belief, golf is not a cushy pastime. Until I began to play golf myself several years ago, I never really appreciated how hard golf can be on a person’s body. Watching professionals play so well with so little visible effort on television is misleading: The true rigors of the game are not apparent.
Golf is a unique sport in that it is actually more appealing to us as players as we get older. You don’t see too many rugby leagues for folks in their Golden Years, but older golfers do represent one of the fastest growing segments of the golfing population. There are about six million U.S. golfers over age fifty. Furthermore, while older golfers account for about one-quarter of all golfers, they play about half of the total annual rounds in the United States.
Have you ever overheard someone in the clubhouse locker room say “I don’t work out because if I bulk up too much I’ll lose my flexibility and my golf swing will suffer� Or, how about “I play golf so often I don’t need extra conditioning� Personally, I was never clever enough to come up with excuses like those not to exercise—I’m just plain lazy.
Females account for about one-quarter of the 25 million-plus recreational golfers in the United States.
Osteoporosis is an important health issue facing all older golfers—particularly females. As a bone doctor, I want you to be aware of this silent but potentially devastating disease.
As my own hairline goes the way of the buffalo and my beltline gradually expands, I take comfort in knowing that as I approach my fifties I have plenty of company—particularly on the golf course. Studies show that there are about six million U.S. golfers over the age of fifty.
One of the most common clinical problems I see in my orthopedic practice is carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). I’m sure you or someone you know has suffered from CTS. In the United States alone, well over 100,000 people a year undergo carpal tunnel surgery. For such a common disorder, it’s amazing that doctors have so little understanding about what actually causes carpal tunnel syndrome.
What Do You Want To Improve Most in 2008
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