3 Things Medical Doctors, Physical Therapist, and Chiropractors Get Wrong with Nashville Golfers
Where do things go wrong for Nashville golfers struggling with chronic or recurring pain? The problem isn’t just the pain itself—it’s the system designed for volume, not quality care. Golf, like any sport, comes with its share of injuries, affecting professionals, amateurs, and weekend players alike. Yet, all too often, the standard approach relies on pain medications, steroid injections, cookie-cutter treatment plans, and the same seven chiropractic adjustments ("the flying seven"). While this may offer temporary relief for some, many find it ineffective—or worse, a revolving door of short-term fixes. The truth is, golfers deserve better.
So where are things going wrong for Nashville golfers? First, clinicians are focusing on the pain, when root causes of the pain lye elsewhere. Second, stretching is an easy prescription, but never the answer. Last, just because we improved a table test does not mean you are ready for your golf trip. Let’s take a closer look at these factors.
1. There is more to your pain
When you have chronic or recurring pain during or after golfing, there is much more to it than your diagnosis. Whether it is a disc bulge, facet irritation, a muscle strain, labrum tear, meniscus injury, rotator cuff tear, or anything else, your treatment should include much more than making the pain go away.
Pain medication is great for making the pain go away. Chiropractic adjustment can make the pain go away (sometimes). Soft tissue mobilization (pin and stretch, cupping, scrapping) can make the pain go away. But none of these things address the root cause of the pain. Let me give you an example…
If you have a disc bulge, pain medication and adjusting can get you through the pain and inflammation. But what is going to stop the same thing from happening when you start golfing again? Will pain medications or muscle scraping stop you from putting excessive forces through the low back during the swing with chronic compressive forces throughout the rest of the day? The answer is obviously no.
Rubbing the bruise can help and is often an important component to care, but we must find the true root cause. Often, I find golfers are missing hip internal rotation on the lead side leg. When we complete the downswing and follow through, we are putting exceptional forces into the left hip through internal rotation. If we are missing mobility or the strength to absorb these forces appropriately in the downswing, the surrounding joints will then begin to take the load (knee and low back). What medical doctors, physical therapist, and chiropractors miss in this example is treating the low back pain without assessing or addressing the surrounding (root cause) joints.
2. Stretching is not the answer
Fighting tension with tension is rarely the answer. How often have you been told to stretch? Or have you assumed that when you feel tight or achy that you need to start stretching? Have you been told by your doctor, physical therapist, or chiropractor to stretch? This is a quick and easy way to give a “solution” without having to assess and spend time in treatment. Stretching is rarely the answer.
Instead, we need to figure out if muscle tension and joint range of motion loss is a biomechanic limitation, joint capsule limitation, or muscle extensibility issue. In any case, stretching the muscle, even if a tight muscle is the issue, will not bring the results you are looking for.
If we use the TPI lat length test as an example, restriction in overhead mobility can be due to a shoulder complex issue (the orientation of the scapula, rib cage, thoracic spine, and humerous), a shoulder capsule restriction, or lat muscle tightness. If the shoulder complex biomechanics are the issue, we need to improve the ability for these components to interact, move, and stabilize to achieve motion. If the shoulder capsule is the issue, we don’t need to stretch the muscles but mobilize the passive tissue of the shoulder capsule (ligaments) while encouraging the humorous to slide and roll as it is supposed to through shoulder flexion. If lat muscle tightness is the issue, we need to use effective interventions to improve the extensibility of the lat like strengthening through end range, not simply stretching.
Don’t settle for “stretch more” from your healthcare provider.
3. Hitting benchmark standards does not mean you have solved root cause issues
If we have shoulder pain in the golf swing, it can be important to make sure we have full access to shoulder range of motion. Laying on the table we can test passive shoulder flexion. Over a treatment plan, we may have achieved an improved range of motion when we retest on the table. But if we don’t take that improved mobility and integrate it into more complex/ active range of motion, we may not have truly solved this mobility issues. The lat length test will assess for shoulder flexion in a way that requires all of the components we mentioned before. We have to make sure we begin to work in exercises and drills that help create full and active access to shoulder flexion in explosive and dynamic movements like the golf swing.
Where most providers go wrong, at the detriment to their patients, is not assessing for movement qualities in dynamic movements. We then miss the opportunity to integrate treatment interventions with the original goal, creating a physical environment or body that is capable of creating and accepting the forces necessary for a pain free and effective golf swing!
Integrated Rehab and Performance Center
Integrated Rehab and Performance Center is not shy about its purpose. We provide comprehensive, start to finish care for Nashville golfers. Permeating all treatment plans is the integration of the golf kinematic sequence with rehab and performance care. Pain focused clinics and offices miss the mark on getting to root cause and pain to performance integration. Don’t settle for pain medication or stretching, your back pain and handicap deserve more.
-Dr. Nick Curtis DC, MS, TPI, CSCS
If you would like to learn more about your body, pain, and performance, send Dr. Nick an email at contact@integratedrpc.com or call at (585)478-4379, or schedule a FREE discovery visit at Contact.
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