In today’s Monday Mulligan we’ll look at the best $100 you’ll ever spend on your junior golfer. Yes, there is money to be spent on every athlete, but the money we will talk about today is probably something you have never heard of. Our family certainly was not aware this technique even existed.
So when S3’s knee dislocated during a high school golf tournament, he saw his orthopedic surgeon, had an MRI and it was determined that he had loose kneecaps. The requirement/rehab was to get the supporting tissue around his knees stronger, basically. His doctor told us to go to a physical therapy clinic that had a therapist certified in sports medicine. As an elite athlete, S3 needed the unique expertise the sports medicine certification brought to the table.
Our first rehab visit began with a review of the incident and an evaluation of his knee. Then we were asked if we would like to put S3 through a 7-stage test which would identify muscle imbalances throughout his body. Then a custom rehab program would be instituted to reduce his risk of future injury. Insurance wasn’t covering it and the out of pocket would be $100. We said, “Let’s do it.”
The proper name of the test is the Functional Movement Screen and when you watch your son go through it, it doesn’t look all that difficult, that is until you try to do some of the stages. Well, S3’s score was 14, out of a possible score of 21, 3 points max for each of 7 positions, which meant he had a slightly higher than average risk of future injury. A custom program was designed with the express purpose of getting his score up to 17 which would genuinely reduce his risk of future injury. After 6 weeks of rehab he scored 17 on a retake of the test. He/we were elated! Then S3 was fit to enter another 6-week super-advanced training for very elite athletes. He was in with college soccer players mostly and the instructor was basically trying to wipe everybody out during every session. Our son held his own and really benefitted from this whole process.
It is pretty much a certainty that athletes will have injuries. I encourage you to investigate the Functional Movement Screen in your area. The best exercise programs are custom programs but there are things you can do to make your son’s body stronger, more muscularly balanced and less injury-prone. Probably if your young golfer is not a teenager-read hormones-you might want to wait until he is in junior high or a freshman in high school before spending the money.
The fact is that this test and the resulting custom rehab and then ongoing custom physical training programs have changed our son’s life. As he enters his senior year playing college golf, his legs, knees and ankles are stronger and more balanced than they have ever been. Please ask orthopedic clinics and physical therapy clinics in your area about the FMS. Someone will be familiar with it and where you can have it done. Check with your insurance and if they won’t pay, then save up until you have the cash. Knowing all this, I would have had S3 do this test before puberty because it still has value. Really, check this out!
One final word: the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA and multiple US special operations forces spend millions of dollars every year on FMS and related custom physical training programs to keep there elite athletes and warriors healthy. What better recommendations are there?
See you on #1 tee…with strong legs… Sam
Parenting Junior Golfers... 