Isy at Elite Performance Therapy, is very excited to be back working with Sports Physiotherapy International Co. Ltd at the Ladies European Tour this year!
In her 2nd season, Isy will be working on site at a number of tournaments, starting with the Madrid Ladies Open in May and the Big Green Egg Open in the Netherlands in July, providing physical therapy, sports massage and performance services to all the Ladies European tour golfers.
Working directly with practitioners from Sports Physiotherapy International Co. Ltd, provides an integrated service on tour for all professional golfers regarding injury, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, screening, performance enhancement, rehabilitation, strength & conditioning and bio-mechanics.
Being Prepared and “The Tiger effect”
“The Tiger effect” has changed everything ; changing attitudes towards health, fitness and wellbeing mean it’s now not uncommon to see most, if not all of the players requesting treatment on any given day!
Working on the Costa del Sol, you never know who or what problem may come through the door. This daily challenge makes it fantastic preparation for working with both professional and amateur golfers; the immediate effect you can have on a player, their performance and achievements is profound. Many times we have had players about to pull out with an acute injury who have gone on to win the event that week — this is an extremely rewarding part of the job!
The last 5-10 years in golf physical therapy has seen a much greater emphasis on exercise and strength & conditioning work in treating injuries and maximising performance. This new breed of stronger, fitter golfers mean that they can generate much higher swing speeds and so hit the ball further.
How do injuries compare in an amateur and professional golfer ?
The most common injuries that professional golfers get are actually very different to the injuries that amateur golfers get. The most common injuries are overload-type injuries and back injuries, i.e. lumbar spine issues, neck injuries and left wrist injuries in a right-handed golfer. Amateur golfers are subject to some of the same issues in the spine, but there are more elbow injuries and injuries relating to swing technique.
How does a typical day look for a therapist working on Tour?
Life on Tour sure means long hours! Depending on the time of year you can regularly start before 6am and finish at 9pm. We open an hour before first tee and stay until every player has finished playing. Early parts of the week often involve dealing with more acute injuries and working on strength and conditioning and rehab programmes. Moving through the week, we then do more preparation, recovery and maintenance work with the players and less strength & conditioning.
The close out…
Here at Elite Performance Therapy we understand that golf at any level is very demanding. It requires strength, explosive power, flexibility and athletic ability to perform a movement which produces some of the fastest club head and ball speeds of any sport.
We also know and understand first hand that life as a Touring Professional isn’t easy!
It’s hard work, requires self-discipline, self-motivation, determination and perseverance and you need to be able to cope with many different pressures. We are very excited to be supporting Sports Physiotherapy International Co. Ltd at the Ladies European Tour and look forward to seeing some fantastic golf and keeping players playing pain-free and at their fullest potential!