Injury Prevention Program: OPRF
I’ve written before about injury prevention for ankle sprains and knee injuries and I want to show just how effective a basic injury prevention program can be. This past year, Oak Park River Forest (OPRF) High School’s soccer program implemented an ACL injury reduction program known as the FIFA 11+. The FIFA 11+ is a warm-up program that focuses on correcting the most common faulty movement patterns seen in adolescent female athletes. Those faulty movement patterns – knees collapsing inwards, relying too much on your quads, ankle instability, etc – can lead to all of your common soccer injuries like ankle sprains, shin splints, stress fractures, and knee injuries.
Let’s Do The Twist: Maintaining Posture Throughout the Golf Swing
Today’s blog post is written by guest blogger Joe Estes, PT, DPT, CGFI. Joe is a physical therapist and Certified Golf Fitness Instructor at Athletico’s Golf Performance Center.
The summer is underway, and so are most people’s golf games. Like the weather so far this spring and summer, the condition of your swing may not be the best you have seen. From a golf fitness and biomechanical perspective, I talk to my patients and clients a lot about maintaining posture throughout the golf swing. This mostly refers to maintaining the spine angle from your set-up position through just after impact. Maintaining posture helps with both consistency of ball striking, as well as power production. (more…)
Minimalist Shoes vs. Maximalist Shoes
What’s the best shoe to wear when running? Minimalist shoes, maximalist shoes, or your current running shoe? Here are some things to consider.. (more…)
Correction of Muscle Imbalances for Gymnasts and Cheerleaders
Most people agree that gymnasts and cheerleaders must be very strong and flexible. Although each athlete is different, patterns of tightness and weakness are often found when screening gymnasts and cheerleaders. As with many sports, some muscles will become naturally stronger and more flexible, while others will be weaker and tighter due to the positioning of the skills practiced. Correction of these muscle imbalances is important to enhance skill level and prevent injury. (more…)
Limited Hip Mobility and Core Weakness: Causes of Lower Back Pain in Golfers
With the golf season now in full swing, many golfers may be experiencing some aches and pains from the first several rounds of the course. Low back pain is a specifically common aliment among golfers. Low back pain can be caused by numerous factors, but two areas of deficit are common culprits to low back pain among golfers. (more…)
Pre-Round Golf Stretches to Enhance Mobility
Golf season is finally approaching, which means it is time to dust off the clubs, break out the plaid pants and warm up your muscles. Properly swinging a golf club requires precise muscle coordination and sequencing of movement across numerous joints within the body, specifically the back. During the back-swing and follow-through, rotation of the trunk is required to effectively position the club for consistently accurate golf shots. This trunk rotation is facilitated by movement through the spine, specifically the thoracic spine.
5 Upper Extremity Overuse Injuries in Growing Athletes
Young athletes today are often practicing three to four hours a day, four to five times per week. Weekends are often spent competing hours at a time. As intensity of sport participation has increased so has the injury level of the upper extremities. Understanding that kids are not little adults and respecting the growing body is key to staying in the game. The good news is that focus on how to prevent overuse injury in sports for growing athletes is also on the rise. Listed below are 5 common upper extremity overuse injuries in young athletes and ways to help prevent these injuries. (more…)
Get in the Swing of Things: It’s Almost Golf Season
After a cold, snowy, and record-setting winter in Chicago, believe it or not, golf is just around the corner. Now that the snow melted, temperatures are increasing, and grass is growing, divots will be flying on the golf course. The last thing you want this season is to be sidelined because of an injury after being sidelined for by the weather. Golf is a dynamic, athletic movement that entails neurological and musculoskeletal components. In order for you to return to mid-season form, you must take care of the most important aspect of your game: your body. (more…)
