What Happens to Your Muscles During a Golf Swing?

Most of your body is engaged when you swing a golf club. From your shoulders, which provide power during a swing to your core, driving that momentum into a club head, a lot is going on. It can also impact your forearms and lower back, which can lead to stiffness if done repeatedly. Intense muscle contractions are occurring followed by a sudden release, which while it may sound like you’re getting a good workout in, can cause micro-tears and fatigue. 

Common Injuries for Golfers

Proper recovery techniques are essential to rebuild your strength and mitigate body stiffness. Here are some common injuries to look out for:

1. Golfer’s Elbow (Medial Epicondylitis):

A golfer’s elbow is a common overuse injury that is caused by repetitive gripping, swinging, and wrist flexion during a golf swing. It results in inflammation of the tendons that attach to the inside of your elbow. Symptoms include pain and tenderness on the inner elbow, weakness in grip strength, and a sensation of stiffness or ache that can extend down the forearm. Without proper recovery and treatment, a golfer’s elbow can significantly impact your performance and comfort while partaking in the sport.

2. Lower Back Strain

The rotational forces required for a strong golf swing often put stress on the lower back, particularly if proper form and posture aren’t maintained. Without proper form, you may experience muscle strains, ligament sprains, or even more serious conditions such as herniated discs. Lower back strain manifests as pain during or after a play, with stiffness, and difficulty in bending or twisting. Addressing these issues early with proper care can help prevent chronic pain and long-term injury.

3. Shoulder Impingements

Repetitive overhead movements and excessive rotation during the golf swing can lead to impingement of the shoulder tendons, particularly in the rotator cuff. An impingement results in pain, reduced range of motion, and weakness in the shoulder, often worsening over time if left untreated. Shoulder impingements can interfere with a golfer’s ability to execute a full, smooth swing.

Preventative Measures for Golfing Injuries

Incorporating regular warm-ups, maintaining proper posture, and focusing on core and flexibility exercises can help mitigate these injuries. Recovery tools like massage therapy are also critical for reducing muscle tension and inflammation, promoting healing, and preventing further strain.

Integrating Theragun® percussive therapy into your wellness routine not only supports injury prevention but also helps you in the recovery process, ensuring you’re always at your best on the links.

When in doubt about your preventative injury or recovery routine, consult your physician for guidance on what is best for you.

How a Massage Benefits Golfers

Golfing targets several major muscle groups in the body. Here are a few ways a massage for golfers can help performance, whether you’re preparing for a tournament or looking to wind down after golfing.

Pain Relief

A massage can help reduce muscle soreness from the repetitive movement of swinging a club and using the same muscle groups over and over.

Injury Prevention

By getting massages regularly, golfers can address tightness that could turn into strains or sprains early on. This also improves muscle elasticity and joint mobility.

Improves Flexibility

Massages can increase your body’s range of motion, relaxing tightened muscles, which can optimize your swing on the golf course.

Massage Therapy for Golfers

At Soothe, we understand the unique physical demands that golfers face and offer specialized sports massage services to support your recovery and performance. Our licensed massage therapists are trained to address muscle groups commonly affected by golfing, such as the forearms, shoulders, and lower back. By focusing on these areas, our sports massages aim to reduce muscle soreness, alleviate tension, and improve flexibility, all of which are crucial for an optimal swing. 

To improve the effectiveness of our treatments, Soothe offers percussive therapy using Theragun®, a device that delivers rapid, targeted pulses to deep muscle tissues. This approach is particularly effective for addressing golfer’s elbow, helping to alleviate pain, reduce stiffness, and improve your range of motion, ensuring a faster and more focused recovery.

Booking a massage with Soothe is convenient and tailored to your schedule. With flexible scheduling options, you can easily incorporate regular massages into your routine, ensuring consistent care and support for your golfing activities, no matter the time of year.

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For most athletes, lactic acid is simply a part of them pushing their limits. However, if you push too much, it can lead to a condition called lactic acidosis, posing more serious health complications. This occurs when lactic acid levels rise too high in someone, causing fatigue, weakness, and other symptoms that could be a harbinger of underlying health problems or even hinder your athletic performance.

Understanding how lactic acid works and when it becomes a problem is crucial for maximizing your performance and keeping yourself healthy. We’ll break down what athletes need to know about lactic acid buildup, lactic acidosis symptoms, and lactic acidosis treatments to keep you in peak condition to meet your athletic goals.

What is Lactic Acid?

Lactic acid is a naturally occurring organic acid produced in the muscles during strenuous activity. This chemical breaks down carbohydrates for energy within the body. This can come from any tissue in the body, not just your muscles and blood cells, though, they do create the majority of the lactic acid.²

How Lactic Acid Builds Up in the Body

While lactic acid builds up during a tough workout, it can also occur in a few other ways. Yardwork, carrying groceries, or even moving heavy furniture during a move can all cause a short-term increase in lactic acid in your body.

Under typical oxygen-rich conditions (aerobic metabolism), your body can efficiently convert glucose into energy, which produces carbon dioxide and water as its byproducts. When engaging in the above activities in a short amount of time, the body’s supply of oxygen cannot keep up with energy demands. When that happens, your body’s muscles shift to anaerobic metabolism, which does not require oxygen to generate energy. This process converts glucose to energy, producing lactic acid as a byproduct.²

When Lactic Acid Becomes An Issue

For most humans, lactic acid buildup is a temporary condition that resolves itself as soon as the activity that triggers it stops. It only becomes an issue when lactic acid production far exceeds the body’s ability to clear it, causing a more serious condition called lactic acidosis to occur. In extreme cases, this can be dangerous or even fatal. While it is rare, athletes should know how to identify it.³ 

Health conditions can exacerbate lactic acidosis by making it harder for your body to process fresh oxygen in your cells. The most common symptoms of lactic acidosis include²:

• Abdominal pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Weakness, especially in the muscles

Impact of Lactic Acid Buildup on Athletic Performance

When pushing yourself during any activity outside of your norm, be sure to keep an eye on how you feel. “No pain no gain” may be an easy mantra to say, but in the case of lactic acidosis, this could be a dangerous mantra to hold when you’re physically exhausted. Your liver and kidneys will be able to break down that extra lactic acid when you’re done.

Don’t be afraid of a hard workout, but be sure to rest and recover as your body tells you to. Here are some ways you can manage the soreness of exercise:

Managing the Soreness of Exercise

If you find yourself constantly exhausted as you are training to meet a new goal of yours, it may be worth asking your physician about a lactic acid level test. This lab blood test will test your lactic acid level if the doctor suspects lactic acidosis. Having high lactic acid doesn’t automatically mean that you are at risk for the more serious condition of lactic acidosis, but your physician can help you analyze your results further in the context of your health history². 

Another test that is offered is a lactate threshold test. This test is one that many career athletes invest in as a part of their training to understand the upper limits of their endurance and train safer for as long as possible. In short, this test makes you perform increasingly strenuous exercise with several points for blood monitoring to check the lactic acid in your blood in real time.²

The best advice will always come from your medical team, but you should never intentionally work out until you’re exhausted. Taking care of yourself starts even before you start exercising. Staying hydrated, eating well, and getting enough sleep are all great preventative measures. Beyond that, stretching out muscles or doing a warmup can go a long way. After exercising, you can help your body recover. Consider electrolytes as needed, take a warm bath, and unwind with some more stretching. These recovery methods can help you boost your circulation, ease muscular tension, and reduce stiffness.

Mitigate the Soreness of Exercise with a Massage

Incorporating these practices into your routine can make a significant difference in how your body responds to lactic acid buildup. Your fitness journey can include you pushing your limits while also mitigating safety risks. A sports massage can target muscles that are overworked repetitively, but it can’t remove lactic acid buildup in your body.⁴ Despite that, it can be a valuable tool for recovery after a strenuous workout. By making a massage a part of your recovery routine, you can better support your overall athletic performance. 

Bibliography

1.Robergs RA, McNulty CR, Minett GM, Holland J, Trajano G. Lactate, not Lactic Acid, is Produced by Cellular Cytosolic Energy Catabolism. Physiology. 2018;33(1):10-12. doi:https://doi.org/10.1152/physiol.00033.2017

2.Cleveland Clinic. What Is Lactic Acid? Cleveland Clinic. Published December 9, 2022. Accessed October 8, 2024. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24521-lactic-acid

3.Brodkey F. Lactic acidosis: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. Medlineplus.gov. Published 2016. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000391.htm4.Thompson D. The Lactic Acid Debate. Massage and Bodywork Magazine for the Visually Impaired. Published online March 1, 2011. Accessed October 1, 2024. https://www.abmp.com/textonlymags/article.php?article=173

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Here are some common injuries to look out for, and pickleball recovery strategies, including a sports massage for pickleball players that will help keep you out of a pickle.

Common Injuries from Pickleball

Playing pickleball works out your entire body, with a focus on your core, shoulders, and legs. From reaching to lunging and twisting yourself in unique ways, the agility can take a toll on your body. These are five common injuries to look out for:

Sprains

Sprains can occur from quick twists, turns, or pivots while playing pickleball. It is an injury to a ligament that is stretched or even torn due to these quick moves.

Fractures

Fractures occur when there is a crack or split in the bone when too much force is applied to it. Too much force could be you taking a fall on the pickleball court’s hard surface, attempting to catch the fall with your arm, and ending up with a wrist fracture. 

Rotator Cuff Injuries

Your shoulders can bear the brunt of the repetitive motions of swinging a paddle in pickleball. When the shoulder is overused, a rotator cuff can tear, which causes pain and some difficulty limiting your arm’s range of motion.

Tendonitis

Tendonitis occurs when a tendon is inflamed, which can cause it to swell and be painful. This can limit your range of motion due to the pain and swelling from the impacted area.

“Pickleball Elbow”

While many have heard of tennis elbow, pickleball elbow is the same phenomenon called lateral epicondylitis, which is a focused type of tendonitis in the elbow.

As with any injury, you want to take care of yourself, listen to your medical team, listen to your body, and only take on physical movements that are approved by that team during your recovery time. You’ll be back on the court in no time!

Mitigating Pickleball Injuries

Everyone’s routine may look different for mitigating injury based on your lifestyle, history of injuries, and overall health. If you’re recovering from an injury related to pickleball, you could be off the court for a while. When in doubt, contact your physician to ensure you are taking the optimal steps to mitigate common injuries faced in pickleball.

Here are some pickleball preparation and recovery steps you can take before and after you spend time on the court.

Hydration

Our body releases sweat as a way of regulating body temperature during physical activity. Drinking water regularly can help your body stay hydrated and in balance for peak performance. Electrolytes or other vitamin supplementation can help mitigate dehydration so you can continue playing without negative side effects.

High-Quality Equipment

The investment into what shoes you wear, to the paddle you hold during a pickleball match can help you to mitigate injuries on the court. Investing the time into proper technique and the right tools for the sport will pay off in dividends when it comes to your health.

Stretching

Before, during, and after a match are all great opportunities to stretch your limbs out. The two benefits of stretching include increased flexibility and mobility. Pickleball’s multiplanar movements mean that you should spend up to ten minutes prioritizing stretches around the common injury areas, such as the shoulder, leg, and back muscles.

Steam Rooms and Saunas

As a form of heat therapy, steam rooms, and saunas can play a part in one’s pickleball recovery by relaxing the muscles. This reduces the impact of muscle contraction after intense movement.

Foam Rollers/Percussive Sports Massage Tools

Rolling out your sore muscles with a foam roller or percussive sports massage tool is a great way to release tension in your muscles after a match. This is a way to promote self-myofascial release (SMR). A roller allows you to apply pressure to targeted sore areas, such as the iliotibial (IT) band, hamstrings, or glutes. 

Sports Massage

A massage after sports exertion is a great form of aftercare that you can set up in advance. Mobile sports massages offer targeted relief personalized to what you need at that moment.

No matter what your pickleball recovery routine looks like, consistency is key to maintaining your physiological health. Feel free to try the above options, or add them in one session at a time to see what impact it has on your ability to crush it on the court.

Benefits of a Sports Massage for Pickleball Players

A sports massage targets muscle groups strained from overuse or repetitive motion, and can bring great relief to those who partake in physical activity such as pickleball. The main benefits of a sports massage for pickleball players include accelerated injury recovery, reduced muscle soreness, and enhanced performance. 

Through deep kneading and stretching techniques, a sports massage helps release muscle tension to make movements more fluid. Additionally, by improving circulation, this type of massage helps muscles receive a greater supply of oxygen and nutrients crucial for healing and recovery.

Soothe’s network of skilled sports massage therapists are dedicated to helping you prevent future injuries. Each treatment is tailored specifically to your needs, moving beyond generic approaches to offer a truly personalized experience.

Getting a sports massage near you is convenient and easy with Soothe. Book with licensed massage therapists who can come directly to your location on your schedule, whether it’s your home, office, or hotel room.

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Massage therapy is practiced in many distinct ways throughout the world. If you’ve had a massage before, you’ve most likely already experienced one or more techniques used in sports massage.

Here at Soothe, this is another featured massage we offer. We love offering sports massage for our Soothe clients because it includes two of our favorite massages: Swedish massage and Deep Tissue massage. If you wish, a sports massage can also include percussive instruments as well.

A sports massage can serve a handful of different purposes, from relaxing the entire body and improving mobility to pain relief caused by injuries. Through Soothe, you can book an appointment with a licensed massage therapist specializing in this type of massage.

What Is Sports Massage?

Sports massage is one of the most popular and frequently utilized massage types worldwide. If you’re ready for your first massage, sports massage can be a great place to start. The sports massage treatment combines various massages into a single session to relieve pain, ease tension, and promote healing. In some scenarios, a full-body massage may be appropriate for this massage type.

Sports massages benefit athletes, bodybuilders, and anyone who lives an active lifestyle. For example, if you’re an athlete, sports massages are recommended during training. Getting a regular massage can help prevent injury and promote faster recovery. Massage treatment is a long-term solution for muscular performance and injury rehabilitation and prevention.

If you’re having pain in your neck or back, a sports massage may be a great way to begin reviving your body and mind. Since this massage is well known for relieving pain and improving injury, sports massage therapy can be relieving.

Sports Massage Techniques

Massage therapists may use a variety of methods to give a sports massage. What methods they choose will depend on your unique situation. Here are the some of the most common sports massage techniques:

• Effleurage – These are simple strokes done with the palms of the hands in a push away from the heart to promote blood flow. Effleurage is used to start your massage, as it helps the muscles warm up. It’s also used to soothe your muscles at the end of your massage. 
• Petrissage – Kneading movements are common in this method. Petrissage helps in muscle recovery. The massage therapist will usually compress your soft tissues in a rhythmic fashion. The most common ways of performing petrissage include kneading, wringing, rolling, and lifting. This will help the muscles stretch and loosen. 
• Tapotement – For stimulation, tapping and cupping muscles are used. This is typically done in pre-event massages. Drumming or tapping is what tapotement refers to. The massage therapist will use rhythmic tapping to stimulate blood flow across the body.
• Friction – Sports massages often use friction movements, and it’s an effective technique for repairing injuries because it targets the muscle tissues. Effleurage should be used before a friction massage to warm up the muscles. This technique involves rubbing on the massage area using the thumbs or fingers. The massage therapist may apply pressure in a circular area or linear. This rubbing can soften and realign your muscles. This technique is great for those of you who may have joint pain or struggle to move your joints.
• Vibration – The fast vibrations relax and soothe the muscles. This technique involves rhythmic shaking of the area being massaged. This will loosen up your body and help your muscles relax.

Ensure you communicate with your therapist and tell them exactly how you feel. This will help them choose the best techniques for you.

What Happens During A Sports Massage?

The first thing to understand is that you can get one at any time, but they can be especially useful before or after you go through an active event with your body, such as a 5-mile run, sports game, MMA match, weight lifting, etc. While deep-tissue massage and sports massage techniques appear similar, the two have different focuses, so knowing which one can help you the most is important.

For example, if you were offered a sports massage vs. a deep tissue massage, the sports massage would probably take your physical activities into account, and the therapist would likely try to tailor the massage treatment to fit both the time and kind of activities you’re doing whereas a deep-tissue massage would be more about pressure and your overall lifestyle.

Each massage therapist has their own preferred techniques for providing a massage. However, there are several standard procedures that you may expect during a sports massage. We’ll cover those now.

Firstly, the massage therapist will lubricate your skin with massage oil or lotion to make it smoother and more pleasant. If you don’t want lotion, just let them know. Your practitioner will use different massage strokes and techniques depending on why you’re getting a sports massage.

These movements help your muscle tissues warm up, which helps to release tension and breaks up muscle “knots,” also known as adhesions. 

Soothe always encourages excellent client-therapist communication to obtain the greatest massage treatment. Before the treatment, the therapist will most likely inquire about any injuries or other issues he or she should be aware of. Let the massage therapist know how you’re feeling. You should tell them exactly what is hurting, painful, or tense so they can adjust their technique accordingly. If you have allergies or are pregnant, make sure to let them know.

You should also tell the massage therapist your preference for pressure, which may be light, moderate, or firm. The therapist will likely ask a series of questions to ensure you have the best experience possible. That’s why communication is so important. Soothe wants to make sure to meet all of your expectations. If you let your massage therapist know exactly what you want, he or she can make sure they deliver on that promise.

Origins Of The Sports Massage

Massage originated in Greece and Rome and has a long history (Cenacle Treatment Centre) as one of the world’s oldest healing techniques. Galen (AD 30-200), a renowned Roman physician, “recommended massage for gladiators both before and after training.” This is one of the first known instances of sports massage.

The modern history of sports massage can be traced back to the Paris Olympic Games in 1924 (Crist Chiropractic & Wellness, 2011). Finland’s Paavo Nurmi won five gold medals in the Olympic track event, receiving much credit for his victory from his regular personal massage therapist. Here in the United States, many people credit Jack Meagher as the one who introduced sports massage to the country.

Health Benefits

The physiological and psychological benefits of massage therapy are enormous. Massage is used to treat various ailments, including muscular imbalances, soft tissue damage, fluid buildup, high heart rate, blood pressure, restricted range of motion, pain, tiredness, anxiety, and injury prevention. It may also help with promoting blood flow and warming up muscles. Research studies have shown that subjects felt less fatigued and felt like they recovered faster after sports massage. Decreased anxiety, improved mood, better sleep, and enhanced feelings of well-being were also noted in the study.

This massage can also ease tension and anxiety, allowing the body to relax and recover from the strain of sports activity. It also aids in the removal of toxins and waste products during post-event periods by “calming the nervous system.” This massage also helps athletes get back into their workouts faster by reducing recovery time.

Massage therapy is shown to relax the body and release and reduce muscle tension during high-intensity exercise. It can also help to relax the body by relaxing the mind.

Personal Benefits

A sports massage is excellent for relieving pain and strains, but it may also aid in the relief of everyday stress. It’s no secret that stress can harm your health. Many people stress over work, relationships, children, parents, taxes, politics, inflation, etc. The more we stress, the more our muscles become tense, which can cause a number of issues down the road if left unaddressed.

The pressure utilized in sports massage therapy can help the muscles and relieve tension that has built up. Some people have said that skin contact relaxes them and aids in clearing their thoughts. Consider booking a deep tissue service if you like firm pressure during a massage.

Another advantage we’d like to mention is getting better sleep. Sleep is extremely crucial to one’s health; it helps the body and mind rest and recover. Getting adequate, good-quality sleep is beneficial to one’s overall well-being.

Since a sports massage can use Swedish massage techniques, it can help to relax your body. This relaxation can help promote better sleep; when performed in the evening, it may also help you fall asleep faster. 

How to Book a Sports Massage Near You

If you’re interested in booking a sports massage, Soothe makes it easy to find a certified massage therapist in your area. Book online or download the app to find a licensed sports massage professional near you.

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