Friday, October 31, 2008

Massage Chair Therapy Helps Your Golf Swing

By Steve Esquire

If you play golf then you know the importance of having a good swing. Your swing makes or breaks your golf game. The follow through and mechanics of your swing are very important to long term success. To ensure you have a consistent swing, it is vital to warm up your muscles, joints and tendons prior to playing. Proper warm up consists of stretching, light exercise and massage. These are important to get your body prepared for the repetitive physical activity that it must perform. Now you may not know that a massage chair can be an effective part of your pre-golf game.

The golf swing actually puts stress on many of parts of the body. The fact that it is repeated throughout the game will build up stress on the lower back, wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees and hips. All of these areas are required to work together to produce a truly accurate swing. If one area like your shoulder has tightness, then it can through your swing off. This is where a sufficient and comprehensive warm up can really help improve your golf game.

Now when you warm up you should be stretching out the following areas: back, arms, legs, hips, shoulders. Get a stretching routine down, so you work all the areas each time. You will want to do some warm up exercises and perhaps some walking to loosen the muscles. Massage therapy should also be included to loosen up the lower back, hips, shoulders and legs. Massage chairs are particularly effective in this regard.

You may not be familiar with the tremendous technology that has been integrated into massage chairs, but they can provide many effective massage therapies. You can select a Swedish, Shiatsu or deep tissue massage. These are effective in loosening your muscles, enhance circulation and also increasing mental awareness and concentration. Many top athletes get sports massages to help them maintain peak performance. It is important to drink a glass of water after getting a massage to help flush out the toxins released from your muscles.

An area of particular importance is the lower back. Most golfers complain about lower back pain. The lower back or lumbar area is the fulcrum of your swing. The leverage in your swing is a function of this pivot point. This is used repetitively throughout the day on every swing. It is vitally important that the major muscle groups used in this area are effectively warmed up. This includes the low back, hips and legs. These areas need to be warmed up and stretched. A good warm up includes the application of heat to enhance blood flow and a penetrating deep tissue massage.

In order to play golf successfully over the long term, you must take positive steps to avoid injury. What are some of the most common causes of golf injury? They can be over-swinging, twisting during your swing, poor swing mechanics and too little warm up. The golf swing is where most golf injuries occur. If you swing too hard or do not warm up correctly, then you can hurt your back, shoulder, wrist, and other areas. You can reduce this risk by integrating an adequate warm up before your game. However, you must also be aware of your limits and do not over-extend yourself unwisely.

We cannot overstate the importance of a comprehensive and proper warm up. Make sure you massage the major muscle groups, stretch them out and the perform warm up exercises. This will help get your body better prepared to improve your golf game. Utilize massage therapy like professional athletes do before they perform. Massage chairs are a convenient way to gain regular access to effective massage therapy. A massage chair can be a key asset in getting a proper massage to loosen, relax and prepare the muscles. This will help give you the edge to help take a few more strokes off your golf game. - 14130

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