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A large part of my clinical work involves helping professional golfers stay healthy and keep playing long term.

When you spend time around the game of golf, one thing becomes clear very quickly:

Golf places a lot of repetitive stress on the body.

Many golfers take thousands of swings every week.

And yet many professional golfers handle that level of repetition for years.

Why?

Because when the body moves well, the stress of those swings is spread across the joints that were designed to handle it.

When that doesn’t happen, certain joints can end up getting pushed past their limits.

This same pattern shows up in many of the injuries we see, not just in golf, but in everyday life.

Your body adapts to the stresses you place on it every day.

If you lift weights, your muscles and bones become stronger.
If you run, your tissues adapt to tolerate impact.
If you sit for long periods, your body adapts to sitting.

This idea is known as the SAID principle:

Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands.

Your body becomes better at handling whatever stress it experiences repeatedly.

That’s what allows people to tolerate movement, exercise, and even repetitive sports over long periods of time.

But the body still has limits. When it’s asked to handle stress it isn’t built for, problems start to appear.

Most injuries don’t happen because movement itself is dangerous.

They happen when certain joints are pushed too far past their limits repeatedly.

Every joint in the body has a job.

Some joints are designed to move a lot.
Others are built mainly for stability and control.

When a mobile joint is asked to move, it usually handles it well.

Those joints are designed for motion, and they can tolerate a lot of repetition in those ranges.

But when a stable joint is forced to move more than it was designed to, its tolerance is much lower.

The body can handle this temporarily (sometimes days, sometimes years). But eventually that tissue can’t keep up, and pain or injury starts to appear.

This is something we see frequently in golfers.

Each segment of the low back only rotates about 2 degrees.
The hip can rotate roughly 45 degrees.

If the hips don’t rotate well during the golf swing, the low back often ends up absorbing more rotational stress than it was designed for.

The body is very good at adapting in the short term, but over thousands of swings that extra load can push the low back past what it can handle.

That’s one reason low back pain and disc injuries are so common in golfers.

This same pattern shows up in many conditions outside of golf as well.

Plantar fasciitis

The plantar fascia can become overloaded when the toes or ankle aren’t moving or supporting the foot well enough.

With every step, the plantar fascia can end up absorbing more force than it was designed to handle.

Headaches

Many people who experience frequent headaches have necks that are either stiff, weak, or both.

When the neck can’t tolerate the demands placed on it throughout the day, stress can accumulate and contribute to headaches.

Low back pain from sitting

Long periods of sitting often lead to reduced hip mobility and strength.

When the hips aren’t moving well, the low back can end up handling more stress during everyday movements like bending, lifting, or twisting.

If that happens often enough, the low back can eventually reach its tolerance limit.

Your body can tolerate far more activity and repetition than most people think.

In many cases, repetition is actually good for the body.

But it works best when stress is distributed across the joints that were designed to handle it.

When joints are doing their jobs, stress is spread across the body and tissues tolerate it well. This actually makes the joints healthier.

When joints aren’t doing their jobs, certain joints get pushed past their limits.

That’s when pain and injuries tend to show up.

Since we know that your body adapts to the movements you repeat most often, it’s worth asking:

Are you doing the movements you want your body to adapt to?

Because whatever you repeat regularly is what your body gets better at.

I hope this helps you think about movement a little more clearly and keep your pain/injuries in perspective.

If you ever have questions about your specific problem, remember, I’m always here to help.

See you next week,

P.S.: Quick Question for You.

Because so much of my clinical work involves golfers, I’ve been thinking about sharing more of the movement patterns, injury prevention, and pain relief strategies we use with golfers.

Click your answer on the poll below to let me know your preference. Thanks in advance!

Dr. Matt Moreno, D.C., C.C.S.P.®
The Move More Minute

Disclaimer: The information provided in this newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician, chiropractor, or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or before starting any new exercise program.

The exercises and suggestions provided are general recommendations and may not be suitable for everyone. If you experience pain, discomfort, or any concerning symptoms while performing these exercises (such as numbness, dizziness, or increased pain), stop immediately and consult a qualified healthcare professional.

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