Golf is a physically demanding sport that requires precision, power, and perseverance. Unfortunately, golf can cause serious overuse injuries, particularly in the back, hips, shoulders, and wrists. The good news? With proper preparation, warm-ups, and physical conditioning, most golf injuries can be avoided. In this article, we’ll cover common golf injuries, tips for prevention, and golf-specific fitness resources to help you stay pain-free while improving your performance. C

Introduction: Are You Struggling with Slow Recovery, Chronic Pain, or Inflammation Despite Doing Everything Right? Are you an athlete or an active individual frustrated by slow recovery, chronic tendonitis, or injuries that just won’t heal? You’re eating clean, taking collagen, sleeping well, and following your training plan—so why isn’t your body bouncing back? The answer may surprise you: it’s not just your muscles, diet, or supplements—it could very well be your vagus nerv

Introduction We all know that if you want to be good at something, like playing golf, the old adage of "practice makes perfect" rings true. But how much practice is needed, and what kinds of practice are best suited to optimize performance and learning? This article explores different types of practice and shares research-backed tips on how to optimize your training. Whether you're a parent of a young golfer or someone who started later in life, these insights will help make

Why Breathing Matters We can't survive without it for more than a few minutes. And no, I'm not talking about smartphones, the internet, or even golf! While breathing doesn't cost money, improper breathing can cost you decreased function, pain, and reduced movement efficiency. In my professional opinion, breathing represents one of the most important yet underappreciated aspects of physical health—often overlooked as a significant source of dysfunction. What Defines Good Breat

Introduction These are voyages for anyone but the faint of heart! While our mission is to discover the source and cause of our client's pain, it can be a strange world, especially to those unfamiliar with how their body perceives and responds to pain. So, if pain is something that is confusing to you, or you'd like to learn more about how the human body perceives and responds to pain, join me as we boldly go where no one has gone before! Pain Defined Pain has been defined as

Introduction to Headaches According to the World Health Organization (WHO), headaches affect 3.1 billion individuals every year, imposing substantial personal suffering while negatively impacting quality of life (WHO 2024). Global Health Estimates (GHE) found that headache disorders were the third highest cause of disability worldwide, following stroke and dementia (GHE 2020). In short, headaches are a worldwide problem that impact nearly everyone! And while headaches may imp

Understanding the Biomechanics of Your Golf Swing Did you know that the human body is composed of 206 bones, 600 muscles, 900 ligaments, and over 7 trillion nerves?! That's a lot to contemplate, and to think the body works "in unison" during your golf swing is even more amazing! And because there are literally thousands of moving parts, there are lots of things that can (and oftentimes do) go wrong. Like when your arms move before your pelvis (casting), or when you move your

Tissue repair and healing following an injury is a complex process involving biological, psychological, and social components. This article focuses on the biological aspects of healing following an acute musculoskeletal injury, though it's important to remember that injury and pain involve much more than just cellular mechanisms. The Four Phases of Healing: Your Body's Recovery Timeline When injuries occur or surgery is performed, our bodies repair themselves in a systematic,

Introduction The golf swing is one of the most complex athletic movements in sports. From setup to finish, a golfer's body moves through all three planes of movement—bend, side bend, and rotation—in less than three seconds. The spinal motion that occurs at such speeds isn't just mind-bending—it's literally spine-bending! Spinal Dynamics in the Golf Swing For a professional golfer using a driver, the spine undergoes remarkable ranges of motion across all three planes: Sagittal

Our Visual System: The Foundation of Performance Your visual system—comprising both your eyes and brain—impacts every aspect of your athletic performance. Whether you're aligning to a ball, reading a putt, visualizing your shot, or maintaining balance, vision plays a crucial role. While our bodies have multiple systems to maintain balance (proprioceptors and vestibular canals), we rely heavily on our eyes to interpret our environment. But what if your visual system isn't func

Vitamin Z: The Miracle Sleep Vitamin Your Body Needs I'm sure you've taken vitamins at some point in your life, but have you ever heard of Vitamin Z? It's one of those vitamins that increases mood, helps with recovery from injury, and may help to mitigate chronic pain. Not only can it be used by everyone from babies to older adults, but there's no unwanted side effects or expiration date (at least none that I'm aware of!). Any guesses on what this miracle vitamin might be? If

Dr. David Didlake, DPT Ever since I can remember, I’ve wanted to start my own practice. Helping people has always been my passion—it’s what drew me to physical therapy in the first place. My journey really took shape in college, where I played soccer at IVC. Unfortunately, I suffered a hip injury—a labral tear—that changed the course of my athletic career. The rehab process was tough, and despite my best efforts, I wasn’t able to return to competitive play. That experience ta