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Nicklaus or any professional
will tell you that problems with the feet, even a painful
corn or callus, can impede timing and balance to the point
where it's reflected on the scorecard at the end of the
day.
Close to 45 million Americans enjoy golf on an amateur
level. Above and beyond the satisfaction of competition, a
full round of golf affords the opportunity for a 4-5 mile
workout that can reduce stress and improve cardiovascular
health.
Be Prepared
Before taking to the links, your body needs to be
prepared for the workout involved in walking the whole
course. (If the pros can walk, so can you!) Anyone older
than 40, or having any problems with weight, respiration,
blood pressure, pulse rate, or cholesterol, should check
with a doctor before playing. The same goes for smokers,
diabetics, and people with preexisting injuries or a
history of heart trouble.
Your podiatric physician, a foot and ankle specialist,
knows the importance of wearing proper golf shoes. Once,
driven by fashion, golf shoes were wing-tip oxfords with
spikes. Today, shoes are constructed using basic
principles of athletic footwear. Some even incorporate
advanced technological innovations such as graphite shank
reinforcements, which keep them light and add strength.
Don't wear anything on your feet that wouldn't be
comfortable if you were taking a good long walk. Make sure
shoes fit well in the store before purchasing them. It's
best to shop for them in the afternoon when the feet are
slightly swollen. Try on shoes with the same socks you'll
wear on the course. Tie both left and right shoes tightly,
and walk around your store or pro shop a few minutes
before deciding on a make and model.
Some simple stretching exercises are important before
taking to the first tee and after leaving the last.
Consult a podiatric physician who specializes in sports
medicine for a light stretching regimen that will help
alleviate stiffness after a day of golf.
The Ideal Swing
Biomechanics, the application of mechanical laws to
living structures such as the feet, play a crucial part in
developing the ideal golf swing. The lateral motion and
the pivoting intrinsic to the golf swing can be
functionally impeded by certain biomechanical conditions.
Faulty biomechanics can inhibit proper foot function, and
your game will suffer.
The anatomy of a biomechanically sound swing goes like
this: During set-up, your weight should be evenly
distributed on both feet with slightly more weight on the
forefoot as you lean over, and slightly more weight on the
insides of both feet.
Maintenance of proper foot alignment on the backswing is
critical for control of the downswing and contact
position. During the backswing, weight should be shifted
to the back foot. It should be evenly distributed on the
back foot or maintained slightly on the inside. Shifting
weight to the outside leaves you susceptible to the
dreaded "sway," a common error in swing. Without an exact
reversal of the sway in the downswing, swaying will result
in improper contact with the ball.
As the back foot remains in a solid position on the back
swing without any rolling to the outside, the front foot
is in turn rolling to the inside. The front heel
occasionally comes off the ground to promote a full
shoulder turn. Completion of the backswing places the
weight on the back foot, evenly distributed between
forefoot and rearfoot, with the weight left on the front
foot rolling to the inside.
The downswing involves a rapid shift of weight from back
to front foot; momentum brings the heel of the front foot
down, and follow-though naturally causes a rolling of the
back foot to the inside and the front foot to the outside.
Golf should always be played from the insides of the feet.
Like the great Nicklaus said, "lively feet" are critical
to a successful golf game. Having healthy, biomechancially
stable feet is the first prerequisite for achieving that
goal.
Orthoses: Preventing
Pain, Improving Game
For the foot that is not able to function normally due
to biomechanical conditions such as excessive pronation
(rolling in) or supination (rolling out), a state of
optimal biomechanics can be achieved through the use of
orthoses, custom shoe inserts that can be prescribed by a
podiatrist. Orthoses not only allow the feet to function
as they ought to, but can alleviate the predisposition to
injury brought on by biomechanical imbalances.
If you already wear orthoses in your street shoes, by all
means transfer them to golf shoes. Podiatrists who
specialize in sports medicine say there are cases when
orthotic devices optimally designed for golf shoes will be
different than those designed for street shoes.
If biomechanical problems are present in your swing, they
will invariably cause symptoms when walking the links as
well. Addressing biomechanical problems in walking may
therefore result in the secondary benefit of an improved
swing through proper foot function.
If a round of golf is painful on the feet, first assess
the quality of your shoes. Any time pain is not adequately
resolved with good, stable, golf shoes, and is present for
more than two or three consecutive rounds, it's time to
visit a podiatric sports physician. He or she can diagnose
and treat any problems, and help make your feet an asset,
not a liability, to your golf game.
Other Injuries and
Treatment
The torque of a golf swing can strain muscles in the
legs, abdomen, and back. The fact that the game is usually
played on hilly terrain increases these forces, which in
turn predispose to injury. Proper warm-up and stretching
exercises specific to golf can help in injury prevention.
A sports podiatrist can recommend a suitable warm-up
regimen.
If biomechanical imbalances are present, these existing
stresses will overload certain structures, and predispose
the golfer to overuse of muscles and strain on ligaments
and tendons. Orthoses will equalize the weight load on the
lower extremity, and in essence rest the overused muscle.
Other problems, such as tendinitis, capsulitis, and
ligament sprains and pulls, can also keep a golf
enthusiast back at the clubhouse. Improper shoes can bring
on blisters, neuromas (inflamed nerve endings), and other
pains in the feet. Podiatrists see these problems daily
and can treat them conservatively to allow for a quick
return to the sport.
When injured, participation is no substitute for
rehabilitation. Injured body parts must be thoroughly
treated and rehabilitated to meet the full demands of golf
or any other sport. If you are injured, your return should
be gradual. As much as you may want to get back to your
game, take it slow. A healthy body makes for a more
enjoyable game, and possibly a better scorecard at the end
of the day.
Tips
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Start easy and build up your
playing time carefully.
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Don't forget to stretch
regularly.
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Fit your shoes with the
socks that you plan to wear.
Your podiatric physician/surgeon has been trained
specifically and extensively in the diagnosis and
treatment of all manners of foot conditions. This training
encompasses all of the intricately related systems and
structures of the foot and lower leg including
neurological, circulatory, skin, and the musculoskeletal
system, which includes bones, joints, ligaments, tendons,
muscles, and nerves. |
