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PREVENTING SHOULDER ‘IMPINGEMENT’
Shoulder pain in golfers is most commonly caused by overuse rather than poor technique during the golf swing, and is most common in the lead shoulder. One relatively common site is the rotator cuff, a group of three muscles that lie deep and close to the shoulder and act to control the ‘spin’ of the shoulder’s ball and socket joint, rather than producing the power of the swing.
Damage to these muscles can result in ‘impingement’ or ‘tendinitis. This is usually felt as a sharp, catching pain associated with movements that take the arms above 90 degrees, across the body or behind the back. Studies show that good control and strength of these rotator cuff muscles are important in preventing shoulder problems associated with golf.
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Lie on your back with your head supported by a small towel and your knees bent, feet flat on the floor.
The upper arm is positioned out to the side at 90 degrees and is supported by a small towel so that the elbow is slightly higher than the shoulder. The forearm points towards the ceiling. |
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Start the exercise by gently pulling the shoulder blade down towards the bed or floor and hold this position. You should feel the muscles between your shoulder blades tightening slightly. |
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Place the fingers of the other hand over the front of the shoulder where you feel the head of humerus (the ‘ball component of the ‘ball and socket’ joint) lies. Use these fingers to monitor that the shoulder does not move forward into your fingers or lifts up or down during the exercise.
Slowly rotate the arm so that the hand moves down towards the floor. Keep the shoulder blade in place and think about ‘spinning’ the upper arm in the socket of the joint. The upper arm and elbow must stay completely still. Only move as far as you can while maintaining this shoulder blade and arm position. Ideally this should be 70-80 degrees from the vertical starting point.
Return to the starting position and then turn the forearm the other way so that the hand moves backwards behind your head. Move as far as you can while maintaining the shoulder position and then return again to the starting point.
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Thursday 17 June 2004
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