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Fitness

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Preventative Medicine

The off-season is the perfect time to overcome - and help prevent - those nagging injuries

By Mike HansenPublished: November, 2006

 The sun sets earlier this time of year, making it the perfect time to overcome injuries and prevent them from returning by incorporating a golf fitness program into your daily routine.

Common golf injuries occur in the back, shoulders, knees, wrists and elbows because nearly every joint in the body must rotate to swing the club effectively.

The first step to overcoming and preventing injuries is to get an assessment of your posture, flexibility, strength and stability. This will allow your fitness trainer to design a program that will incorporate strength and flexibility exercises into your routine.

Other steps to take to prevent injuries include:

1) Work with a teaching professional on your swing, since injuries often occur because of poor technique.
2) Get in shape. Include cardiovascular exercises into your routine to increase lung capacity and strengthen your heart and legs.
3) Warm up before you practice or play. Make sure to arrive at the course early to stretch and hit range balls.
4) Walk instead of ride. Walking will keep the muscles warm and loose.
5) Drink plenty of fluids to prevent muscle cramping.  n

Mike Hansen owns and operates Hansen Fitness Company in Irvine. He can be reached at (949) 251-0533.