It Don't Mean a Thing if You Ain't Got That Warm-up Swing
Oct. 12, 2000 -- Anyone who has trudged through 18 holes of golf can attest to the game's ability to bruise the ego. But for the aging golfer, the game also can bruise the body and put a strain on the heart and lungs, which is why sports medicine experts urge older golfers to get their bodies in shape before they try to get their scores down.
Mark Twain called golf "a good walk spoiled," but the game puts considerably more strain on the body than does a simple stroll, according to Anthony A. Vandervoort, PhD, and colleagues in a recent issue of the journal Sports Medicine.
"The golf swing itself is a very brief but intense exercise involving most of the muscles of the body. This is why conditioning is so important," says Vandervoort, professor of gerontology at the University of Western Ontario. "It's very easy to strain or pull a muscle simply by overswinging."
Vandervoort and colleagues from the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, point out that while younger players may be able to withstand the strains of repetitive exercise such as swinging a club and walking up hilly terrain, the muscles, joints, hearts, and lungs of seniors don't bounce back as easily as they once did.
Serious, but rare, injuries reported by physicians who treat older golfers include compression fractures of vertebrae -- the backbones -- among postmenopausal women, stress fractures of the ribs, heart attacks, and fainting.
The researchers advise would-be golfers of a certain age to consult their physicians to get clearance before taking up the sport. In addition, they recommend that to prevent injuries, all senior golfers -- from occasional dabblers to would-be Arnold Palmers -- embark on a physical conditioning program specifically tailored to the demands of golf. The program, which they call the "foursome of injury prevention strategies for the older golfer," should include:
It Don't Mean a Thing if You Ain't Got That Warm-up Swing
Mark Twain called golf "a good walk spoiled," but the game puts considerably more strain on the body than does a simple stroll, according to Anthony A. Vandervoort, PhD, and colleagues in a recent issue of the journal Sports Medicine.
"The golf swing itself is a very brief but intense exercise involving most of the muscles of the body. This is why conditioning is so important," says Vandervoort, professor of gerontology at the University of Western Ontario. "It's very easy to strain or pull a muscle simply by overswinging."
Vandervoort and colleagues from the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, point out that while younger players may be able to withstand the strains of repetitive exercise such as swinging a club and walking up hilly terrain, the muscles, joints, hearts, and lungs of seniors don't bounce back as easily as they once did.
Serious, but rare, injuries reported by physicians who treat older golfers include compression fractures of vertebrae -- the backbones -- among postmenopausal women, stress fractures of the ribs, heart attacks, and fainting.
The researchers advise would-be golfers of a certain age to consult their physicians to get clearance before taking up the sport. In addition, they recommend that to prevent injuries, all senior golfers -- from occasional dabblers to would-be Arnold Palmers -- embark on a physical conditioning program specifically tailored to the demands of golf. The program, which they call the "foursome of injury prevention strategies for the older golfer," should include:
- Start-up routine of full warm-up exercises
- Stretching and strengthening exercises for key muscles
- Stamina conditioning to prevent fatigue that can occur during a typical 18-hole round of golf
- Swinging with proper technique, timing, and balance to prevent falls, which is especially important among postmenopausal women, Vandervoort emphasizes