In this week’s article, we are talking about “stiffness” or “tightness”. When we feel like we can’t get into a position with ease, whether it be in the golf swing or a back squat, we can expect there to be a tissue extensibility issue, joint mobility issue, or weakness/ motor control issue. It is important on our exam and history we distinguish between these and find which is responsible for the missing range of motion and control. We use joint palpation and end play feel, single joint range of motion, global range of motion testing, and muscle palpation to help determine which issue is truly at hand.

Golfers know it, swing coaches know it, rehab professionals know it, and performance and fitness experts know it. Thoracic rotation is important. TPI has done the measurements (refer to the previous article and podcast: The Seated Trunk Rotation Test), we need access to spine rotation to get into golf positions and we need to be able to do it easily enough to be dynamic and strong through it. So how do we go about improving measurements of thoracic spine rotation? And how do we translate that to the actual golf swing?

This week, we are discussing TPI’s (Titleist Performance Institute) seated trunk rotation test. This is an essential test in understanding the golfer’s body and biomechanics capabilities for producing a repeatable, effective, and efficient golf swing. This test screens the trunk for rotation in both the back swing and the down swing. If asymmetry or deficiencies from ideal ranges are found, we know to take a closer look at thoracic spine rotation in the golfer.

This week we will show some example progression through the three stages of care for a performance patient. His main goal was improving his snatch catching position. He notes from videos that his right heel elevates off of the ground when catching the snatch and doing other overhead movements. Let’s see how we progressed this patient base doff our day 1 findings and primary goal.

This week we are going to give examples of Integrated Rehab And Performance Centers patient exam. More specifically, we are looking at an example of how we integrate lower body joints with the pelvis and spine. You will see why phases of care progress from working on mobility for various joints, into motor control for specific joints and then integrating that new mobility and motor control into big picture and broad movement patterns that the patient/ client needs for their sport, hobby, or goals. Today, we are looking at lower body exam for a CrossFitter looking to improve their snatch position and snatch performance.

This week we are discussing TPI’s lower quarter rotation test. This is an important test for screening the golfer’s ability to create adequate rotation from the pelvis down for the backswing and down-sing. If we pass this test during the TPI evaluation, then we likely won’t have to take a closer look at hip mobility. It is vital that the golfer has this motion available to them to create length in the swing, take advantage of stretch shortening reflexes, and follow the kinematic sequence (key for consistency and power).

This week, we are talking about the side-to-side sway we sometimes see in a back squat, front squat, and even body weight squat. You should know, this hip shifting action is occurring in much more than just these movements. It can occur, asymmetrically, when we lunge, snatch, clean, run, and even walk. As you can tell, what is occurring here is happening all the time, it’s almost a state of being. So, what is it?

Shoulder mobility is crucial to the performance and longevity of golfers. Golf specific testing is vital to understanding the root cause of pain and injury in golfers. At Integrated Rehab and Performance Center, we check all mobility, stability and global range of motion available to the golfer and work to improve on the most crucial missing markers.

As a sports medicine and rehab-based chiropractor, the concepts that tie the low back and the hip together are essential to understanding IRPC’s level of care. In this article, we will talk about regional interdependence, pain referral, and mobility Vs. stability.

Sway is the lateral or side-to-side motion of the hip in the backswing. This creates imbalances and changes in posture that the golfer has to address when returning in the down swing.

Nutrition plays a significant role in the success of strength and power athletes. To reach your full potential, focus on the right balance of macronutrients, stay hydrated, and consider supplements to support your goals. Remember that individual needs may vary, so listening to your body and adjusting your nutrition is essential.

Essential in this case means that the body cannot produce these fatty acids and we must consume omega-3 fatty acids in our diet. An important marker to look for is the omega3-omega 6 ratio. A simple blood sample will give us this data. Though both fatty acids are important, omega-6 fatty acids have an inflammatory role. Again, creating inflammation when needed is necessary for many bodily functions and is in fact essential for growing and recovering after training. Unfortunately, in the standard American diet, we get far too many omega-6’s, especially relative to omega 3’s. Examining the omega-3 to omega-6 ratio is important for understanding where our diet and health is regarding fatty acids and therefore heart and cardiovascular health.

Last week we talked about the extension compression stabilizing strategy (ECSS). I had described the reason for its prevalence, the utility in it, and the long-term effects it can have by creating low back pathology. We now have a better understanding of the issues with this stabilizing strategy and how we can create stability with better strategies. This week, I want to focus more on what we can do for those already suffering from the effects of ECSS or other trauma in the low back.

We need to understand the common method of creating stability in the spine, the extension compression stabilization strategy (ECSS). This is a common contributor to next day low back soreness and overall long term risk of disc injury.

Dialing in our macronutrients could be the lowest hanging fruit for maximizing performance, recovery, and injury prevention and rehab. Depending on our goals, we can calculate what should be our percentage calories from carbohydrate, protein, and fat from our total calorie target. Before diving into calculating targets for each macronutrient, we need to establish our total calorie goal that addresses our resting metabolic rate and physical activity level (we can factor thermal effect of food into this as well or ignore it, considering the margin for error already in place for these calculations). See the previous blog article for more on calculating this!

Learn to take the first step in mastering your nutrition with calculating total energy expenditure! This is vital in how we determine macronutrients and total calorie goals for atheltes and exercisers.

How foot pronation relates to performance and injury prevention. Learn how to test and improve foot pronation in the rehab process and performance training.