LVPRC Golf Analysis:
A perfect golf swing requires full capacity of nearly every joint involved, and the swing must be done - efficiently - easily - explosively - repeatedly. Many swing faults are directly attributable to poor joint mobility resulting from soft-tissue restrictions. The golf swing must be smooth and fluid; any tissue restriction will rob the golf swing motion of maximum energy. These tissue restrictions cause a decrease in the golf coil action, which can be seen and felt in all areas of the game. It is impossible for muscles to perform normally when there is a scar or a tear.
LVPRC, utilizing ART®, helps to provide a means to enhance your golf performance by identifying and releasing the tissue restrictions that reduce performance and cause injuries. Golfers who have had injuries and need immediate relief turn to ART® for fast and always effective pain relief.
LVPRC Golf Restriction Tests:
- Cervical Rotator Test
- Internal Shoulder Rotator Test
- External Shoulder Rotator Test
- Latissimus Dorsi Test
- Quadratus Lumborum Test
- Iliotibial band Test
- Spinal Rotation Test
- Hip Flexor Test
- Hamstring Test
- Internal & External Hip Rotator Test
By using the above tests we first determine which structures are affected in the golfer's swing. Often there are other restrictions involved than just the chief area of restriction or area of pain. Since function and performance are always based upon balance and coordination, opposing soft-tissue structures are always affected by restrictions in the opposing primary structures. After determination of affected structures, ART® is used to treat each soft-tissue dysfunction with the appropriate ART® protocol to restore full function to the affected structures. The result is almost always an improvement. At LVPRC, using the ART® analysis and treatment process has helped hundreds of golfers achieve their goals and prevent numerous injuries from occurring.
Causes of Common Swing Faults:- Tight shoulders
- Poor swing techniques
- Improper equipment or technology
- Tightness in the hip joint
- Spinal injuries or stiffness
- Repetitive strain injuries
How Swing Restrictions Affect Your Swing:
Restricted Cervical Rotators:
When the Cervical Rotators are restricted, the golfer will have trouble keeping his or her head down and eyes on the ball. Golfers with restricted Cervical Rotators may also experience a decrease in total spinal rotation, from their neck to their low back. This is due to the neck inhibiting full spinal rotation because it can not independently rotate from the rest of the torso.
Restricted Shoulder Internal Rotators:
Restrictions in the Internal Rotators impede a golfer's ability to face the target during the follow-through portion of the swing. The restrictions in the shoulders cause the body to compensate with excessive spinal rotation. In addition to excess spinal rotation, golfers will notice that they have difficulty keeping their eyes on the ball. They have trouble with the club-head swing plane; the end result is usually fat or thin shots.
Restricted Shoulder External Rotators:
When a golfer has restrictions in their External Rotators, the golfer compensates for lost shoulder motion with excessive spinal rotation which now increases the chances of a hook or slice dramatically.
Tight Right Shoulder (Cart Path Side): Restrictions in the External Rotators of your RIGHT shoulder restrict your follow-through.
Tight Left Shoulder (Green/Pin Side): Restrictions in the External Rrotators of your LEFT shoulder restrict your back-swing.
In most cases once the restrictions are corrected with ART®, the golfer will notice an immediate increase in his or her range of motion during the back-swing and follow-through.
Restricted Latissimus Dorsi :
Restricted Latissimus Dorsi muscles limit full thoracic extension; thus, a golfer's back-swing and follow-through are limited. Golfers with restricted Latissimus Dorsi muscles may also notice that they tend to hook the ball due to a closed club-face at the impact of the club and ball. Golfers try to compensate for restricted thoracic extension by over rotating the shoulders, increasing the chances of shoulder or elbow injury.
Restricted Quadratus Lumborum:
Quadratus Lumborum swing faults are similar to that of limited spinal and thoracic rotation. The golfer creates excessive shoulder rotation due to compensation. This causes a decreased ability to coil the spine which is vital to the golf swing. Restrictions located in the Quadratus Lumborum also may be the cause of excessive sway during back swing and follow-through. This increase in sway causes further altered swing plane or clubface angle. Golfers will notice limited ability to maintain optimal swing axis when their QL's are restricted.
Restricted Iliotibial Bands:
Restrictions located in the Iliotibial Bands cause a decrease in stance and swing stability. Golfers will be unable to properly redistribute their weight during back swing and follow-through. This is usually coupled with restricted spinal rotators which again cause abnormal swing plane.
Restricted Spinal Rotators:
Restricted Spinal Rotators restrict the swing coil motion and help to create excessive shifting or swaying in the hips during back-swing and follow through. The increased sway results in a deviation in swing plane and club-face angle at the point of impact. The shoulder is most often overused to compensate for restricted spinal rotation and is usually injured in the process. The full golf swing is limited or lost when spinal rotators are injured or restricted.
Restricted Hip Flexors:
Restricted Hip Flexors limit the ability to achieve a full backswing and inhibit the golfer's ability to move his or her hips completely through during follow-through. Restricted Hip Flexors are one of the most common causes of muscle imbalances and often are the leading cause of low back pain. Golfers with restricted Hip Fflexors notice a loss in power, strength, limited full golf swing, and an inability to face the target during follow through.
Restricted Hamstrings:
Golfers with restricted hamstrings have an increase in forward bending which increases the stresses placed on the lower back. This stress ultimately results in decreased spinal rotation. Overuse of the shoulders is common when spinal rotation is limited due to tight hamstrings. Golfers with tight hamstrings usually chop down on the ball.
Restricted Hip Rotators:
Restricted hip rotation is commonly associated with overuse injuries to the back, shoulder, and elbows. This is particularly important to senior golfers as tight Hip Rotators cause lower back pain and a loss in swing power. Assuming a right handed golfer, restricted right hip internal rotation and/or left restricted external rotation will limit your back swing and decrease your follow-through.
ART® Is Performed:- By maintaining a contact on the exact adhesion, with the muscle in a shortened position
- By elongating the shortened muscle along its fiber orientation to break up the adhesions
Once the adhesion is broken up, the soft tissue can glide unimpeded, and allow you to reach the positions your golf professionals are showing you -- without tension, pain, or further injury.
What to Expect from Treatments:
Every LVPRC session is actually a combination of examination and treatment. The ART® provider uses his or her hands to evaluate the texture, tension, movement and function of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves. Abnormal tissues are treated by combining precisely directed tension with very specific movements. These treatment protocols - over five hundred (500) of them - are unique to ART®. They allow providers to identify and to correct the specific problems that are affecting each individual patient. Patients can expect restoration of optimal soft tissue texture and motion, restoration of the function of the soft tissue, and the release of any entrapped tissues, nerves, or blood vessels.
Treatments take about fifteen to thirty (15-30) minutes for each area being treated. A condition may require two to ten (2-10) visits before full functionality is restored. Joint manipulations and physical therapy are frequently carried out in conjunction with ART® to increase treatment effectiveness.
Whenever possible, patients are asked to perform active movements during the ART® treatment process. Active motions stimulate neurological pathways in the spinal cord that help to reduce pain during treatment. Motion also helps to reproduce the stresses the patient will actually be under during normal active motion. Complete healing and biomechanical restoration may take several months; however, most treatment plans are six to eight (6-8) weeks of active therapy.