Headline: Loosen up that central nervous system for a smoother swing
Article text: Do yourself and your golf instructor a favor. Loosen up.
It's no secret that better balance, flexibility and a greater range of motion can improve not only your swing and score, but they can reduce the after-round stiffness that sets in at the 19th hole.
If you think limber and elongated muscles are the ticket, you're right. But physical therapist Roger Rettig explained what most people don't know is that you've got to get your central nervous system to cooperate.
Just going through basic stretching doesn't necessarily result in elongated muscles or greater range of motion, he said.
"A muscle is very elastic, but what keeps it tight is the central nervous system," Rettig said. "Our nerves will send signals to tighten our major muscle groups to support the spine. When we stretch a muscle, the central nervous system automatically tightens nearby muscle groups to prevent possible spinal injury."
And since the big muscle groups are responsible for movements, when they become tight range of motion is limited.
Rettig, owner and director of Colorado Physical Therapy Institute PC in Broomfield, has created the Golf Performance Enhancement program. It uses specific equipment and exercises to strengthen those core muscles while stretching them, giving the central nervous system a sense of core strength so it won't tighten muscles for protection.
This goes a long way toward creating flexibility in the joints, and the ligaments and tissue that connect bones that are the key to achieving the maximum stretch. The hips, lower back and rib cage need to be at their greatest flexibility to achieve top performance from those muscles.
"When this happens, golfers are able to coil and recoil, allowing them to increase club head speed and swing smoother resulting in longer drives," Rettig said.
<b>Strap into ATM2</b>
Rettig uses the ATM2 machine, which stands for active therapeutic movement, to achieve spinal stabilization. The machine started as a therapeutic device but has expanded into the athletic-performance market.
When strapped in by a series of belts, a golfer can work on range of motion of one area of the back while the belts support other muscle groups, sending a message to the nervous system that it doesn't need to contract muscles to protect the spine.
Studies show that exercises using this machine result in an average 18.6-degree increase in range of motion and nearly 10 yards additional distance of drives. Long drive champion Gerry James achieved a 25-degree increase in range after four months on the machine.
Rettig said by using this machine and other exercise tools, golfers can focus on specific exercises that will improve the flexibility in their spine, shoulders and hips, all key areas of the golf swing. By creating flexibility in muscles and ligaments that connect bone to bone at joints, there also is benefit in maximizing the movement in joint sockets, especially the hips.
The institute also has a nifty machine that develops core strength, a strong foundation necessary for balance. Rettig said the $14,000 Power Plate's vibrating platform helps athletes improve muscle strength and posture control.
Studies show by simply standing on the vibrating plate, the body's muscles contract subconsciously 30 to 50 times per second, which can stimulate a power-training effect. But for working on balance at home, Rettig can prescribe a series of exercises on inflated plastic discs.
Rettig's crew also uses foam rollers of varying densities shaped like oxygen tanks to increase flexibility and core strength of the neck, shoulders, mid- and lower-back areas and hips.
"Getting the rib cage to open is the first step in improving range of motion," Rettig said. By using these rollers, a golfer can improve strength of muscles up and down the spine from the neck to the hips. "By repeating these routines, eventually your nervous system won't override the work you've done to stretch."
The three-session program provides golfers with exercises and knowledge of some less expensive equipment to work on their golf fitness at home. "We think we can teach people pretty quickly what they can do to move toward their goals," Rettig said.
Published date: May 1, 2009
Byline: Doug Storum
