As a Physical Therapist, I see many patients who have a desire to return to golf after a Total Hip Replacement or Total Knee Replacement. In fact, many of the these patients have the Joint Replacement surgery to extend their ability to play. Many of them are avid golfers and have found increased difficulty with walking a course, driving the ball, or even just playing 18 holes and have had to limit their play time. Most, if not all, of these patients can return to playing golf.

In 1999, Jack Nicklaus, winner of 18-major golf championships and considered by many the games greatest golfer, brought the total joint surgery into the spotlight.  A long history of severe osteoarthritis made it difficult for Jack to finish his golf swing, walk on uneven surfaces or even get out of a chair.  After years of conservative management, including physical therapy, Jack elected to have his left hip replaced. After successful rehabilitation, Jack returned to competitive golf.

Below, I have outlined a general description of the rehab/recovery process after joint replacement from a physical therapy perspective.

In my last blog, I discussed how to maintain the proper golf stance through strengthening and flexibility of the lower body. In Part II, I will discuss the upper half, trunk region. The upper body is extremely important in the golf stance. Since your arms attach to your trunk, it is essential that you have a consistent trunk position to avoid varying positions with your upper extremities and furthermore, your swing position.

The Stance Phase of your swing is extremely important because it helps you to reduce the errors in your swing and hopefully improve your shot consistency. Variation in your swing can come from variation in your stance as well errors in the dynamic part of the swing. To physically maintain proper setup stance position it is important for you note the following must occur:

Many of us are limited with our backswing and follow-through because of limited range and flexibility in our upper bodies. This simple stretch may significantly improve your flexibility and hopefully take off a few strokes to your game.