Golf Clinic/Sports Medicine Event Press Release
Sample News Release
For more information, contact:
[Insert contact information]
For Immediate Release
[Insert date]
Golf Gaining Popularity: But Don't Let Injuries Knock You Off Course
Orthopaedic surgeons provide tips to keep golfers of all ages injury-free
[Insert City and State]—While many of today’s golfers pass on wearing plaid pants in favor of sporting more updated apparel, the increasing number of injuries that result each year from golfing will never become fashionable. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were more than 95,800 golf-related injuries treated in doctors’ offices, clinics and emergency rooms in 2011, incurring a total cost of more than 2 billion dollars. Like learning how to avoid driving your ball into a sand trap, by following proper techniques from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), most of these injuries can be prevented.
Golf can be a good outdoor fitness activity, especially when players walk the course (as opposed to riding it). However, the sport does pose potential risk of serious injury for golfers of all ages. Overuse syndrome, as well as tendinitis, bursitis, strains and sprains can put a halt to a golfer’s game. The most common injured areas include the elbow, spine, knee, hip and wrist.
[Personalize safety quote here: See sample quote format] “Whether you are a veteran returning to the green after a seasonal hiatus or a beginning golfer, it is important to start out slowly, gradually increasing the number of holes you play,”explained [Insert name of local orthopaedic surgeon, include affiliation]. “Instead of going for 36 holes your first day back on the green, hit just a single bucket of balls the first time out. The next day, see how your bones and joints feel to gauge whether or not you can increase your swing velocity and number of repetitions.”
Additionally, [Insert Orthopaedic Surgeon’s Name] recommends that golfers of all ages regularly participate in a muscle conditioning program to not only reduce the risk of experiencing golfer’s elbow – one of the most common golf injuries – but also to promote flexibility and longevity in their game throughout the season.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers these simple tips to help prevent golfing injuries:
•
Take golfing lessons and begin participating in the sport gradually.
•
Choose the correct golf shoes: ones with short cleats are the best.
•
Warm up and stretch before golfing. Improving your flexibility helps your muscles accommodate to all sorts of demands.
•
Incorporate strength training exercises into your warm up routine. VisitOrthoInfo.org for golf-related strength training exercises.
•
Do not hunch over the ball too much, as it may predispose you to neck strain and rotator cuff tendinitis.
•
Avoid golfer’s elbow – caused by a strain of the muscles in the inside of the forearm – by not over-emphasizing your wrists when swinging. It is important to build your forearm muscles by completing the exercises below:
o
Squeeze a tennis ball for five minutes at a time.
o
Perform wrist curls using a lightweight dumbbell. Lower the weight to the end of your fingers, then curl the weight back into your palm, followed by curling up your wrist to lift the weight an inch or two higher. Perform 10 repetitions with one arm, then repeat with the other arm.
o
Do reverse wrist curls with a lightweight dumbbell. Place your hands in front of you, palm side down. Using your wrist, lift the weight up and down. Hold the arm that you are exercising above your elbow with your other hand in order to limit the motion to your forearm. Perform 10 repetitions with one arm, then repeat with the other arm.
•
Help minimize low back injuries – often caused by a poor swing – by performing these simple exercises to help strengthen lower back muscles:
o
Rowing: Firmly tie the ends of rubber tubing. Place it around an object that is shoulder height (like a door hinge). Standing with your arms straight out in front of you, grasp the tubing and slowly pull it toward your chest. Release slowly. Perform three sets of 10 repetitions, at least three times a week.
o
Pull-downs: With the rubber tubing still around the door hinge, kneel and hold the tubing over your head. Pull down slowly toward your chest, bending your elbows as you lower your arms. Raise the tubing slowly over your head. Perform three sets of 10 repetitions, at least three times a week.
•
Keep your pelvis as level as possible throughout the swing.
•
Be alert for dehydration and heat exhaustion.
•
Heed caution when driving a golf cart, reducing speed for pedestrians, inclines and weather conditions. Keep hands, legs, feet and arms inside the confines of the golf cart when it is moving.
Visit:
A Nation in Motion: One Patient at a Time
[Insert information about your state society/local practice or hospital affiliation]
# # #