{"id":227623,"date":"2019-04-09T11:30:38","date_gmt":"2019-04-09T11:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/golftoday.co.uk\/x-factor-swing-back-injuries\/"},"modified":"2022-10-06T11:52:50","modified_gmt":"2022-10-06T11:52:50","slug":"x-factor-swing-back-injuries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/golftoday.co.uk\/x-factor-swing-back-injuries\/","title":{"rendered":"Does golf\u2019s \u2018X-factor\u2019 swing cause back injuries?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Harder,\nbetter, faster, stronger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Professional\ngolfers are hitting the ball further and swinging the club with more force than\never before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Advancements\nin club and ball technology, along with improved strength and conditioning\ntraining, have helped players smash driving distance records, forcing\ndesigners, particularly in the United States, to lengthen their courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether\nthe arms race is good for the sport is up for debate. Another important\ndiscussion, however, is whether it\u2019s good for the players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A study published in the\u00a0Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine<\/em>\u00a0in February 2019 claimed the modern \u2018X-factor\u2019 swing \u2013 designed to increase distance \u2013 can cause back injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
The\nX-factor is favoured by most professionals, including 14-time major winner\nTiger Woods, and Northern Irish sensation, Rory McIlroy. The extra distance is\ngenerated from rotating the shoulders further in relation to the hips, creating\nmore wound-up potential energy, which translates to a more explosive downswing\nand increased length off the tee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According\nto the study, however, the extra twist puts strain on the lumbar spine, while\nthe powerful downswing causes a \u2018crunch\u2019 that damages the disc and facet\njoints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Woods\nand McIlroy \u2013 renowned for their picture-perfect X-factor swings and incredible\ndistance off the tee \u2013 have both struggled with back injuries in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Back\nspasms also forced Cameron Champ \u2013 the longest hitter on the PGA Tour who has\nset club head speed records this season \u2013 to pull out of the PLAYERS\nChampionship in March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But\nShane Lawlor, a chiropractor who since 2009 has worked with PGA and European\nTour players such as Padraig Harrington, Henrik Stenson and Shane Lowry,\ndoesn\u2019t believe that the X-factor swing itself is to blame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI’m\nnot against the X-factor, but it needs to be worked between the strength and\nconditioning coach and a medical practitioner,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf\nthe player physically can’t get there then you have a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\nis young players, Lawlor says, who are most at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe\ntrend now is that if you’re 18 or 19 years of age and you can’t hit it over 300\nyards you’re at a severe disadvantage,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\nwould be interested in seeing what will happen in the next five to 10 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf\nthey’re not physically ready, if they’re swinging much harder with such high\nclub head speed, I don’t know if their careers will be as long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe\nanalogy I would use for a young kid is if you put a Ferrari engine in a Micra,\nit’s not going to work very well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Strength\nand conditioning training often gets a bad rap in golf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pundits\nlike Brandel Chamblee and Johnny Miller have criticised both McIlroy and Woods\nfor putting in hours at the gym, suggesting the pursuit of physical perfection\nhas hurt both players\u2019 ability to win majors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But\nLawlor argues that there is no way that a professional player\u2019s body can\naccommodate the kind of swing needed to be competitive in the modern game\nwithout spending time building strength in the gym.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe\ndiscs are going to get overloaded, it’s hard to stabilise the spine through\nrotation, and if you do it to one side it will cause disc bulges and pain,\u201d he\nsays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe\nright strength and conditioning training is an absolute necessity. You need to\nmake sure you are mobile and stable, and your body is able to withstand those\nforces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\ndon\u2019t need golfers to be massive powerlifters, but they need the ability to\nmove their joints at speed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most\nplayers recognise this. Whereas trips to the chiropractor in the past would\nprimarily be for dealing with niggles or rehabbing serious injuries, Lawlor is\nnow visited in a performance capacity by pros looking to gain an edge over\ntheir competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seeing\nthem more regularly allows him to ensure that their bodies are capable of\ntaking on any swing changes, and to build regimes \u2013 along with their fitness\ncoaches \u2013 around their own specific needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some\npros like to rest on the day before a tournament, while others prefer to still\nbe sore from a gym session when they step on to the tee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neither\nis a problem, Lawlor says, providing they take care of themselves away from the\ncourse and don\u2019t overload with training (which is the mistake Woods made early\non in his career).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Long-haul\nflights, lazy rest days playing video games or even the hotel pillow can cause\nstiffness in the back that could lead to injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s\nplenty to monitor, but Lawlor says there\u2019s no quick fix when it comes to\ngetting players into the right shape to play the game at a high level for a\nlong time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe\ngood players see that it’s a process,\u201d he says. \u201cIt’s not going to take six\nmonths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt’s\nthe small incremental stuff that won’t help if you do it for one season. It’s\nabout doing it over a career.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harrington,\n47, is a good example of a player who has taken his conditioning seriously and\nwill now benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPadraig\nis fitter now than when he was at 20,\u201d says Lawlor. “He’s a totally\ndifferent animal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\nthink he’s going to do really well on the Champions Tour. That’s the change\nwe’ll see. With these guys that are now fitter at 49 or 50, it’s going to be\nreally competitive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Golf\nwill always be hard on the back. The repetitive, one-sided nature of the swing inevitably\nputs more pressure on the spine than in most other sports, while the hours of\npractice required to be a professional means there is always the danger of\noverload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But\nwhile the speed of the modern swing could, as Lawlor suggests, lead to back problems\nfurther along in younger players\u2019 careers, it is strength and conditioning work\nthat reduces the chances of those issues arising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So even though time in the gym remains much-maligned by members of golf\u2019s old guard, it could be the reason McIlroy and other top players are still competing for majors in 10 years\u2019 time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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