Q&A:
Protecting your play Dr. Kevin Howard, DO
Text: R. Collins Beginning with bent knees, the anatomy of a golf swing involves working several joint groupings on the body, from wrists and elbows to hips and ankles. The twist of the upper body grinds back down onto the pillar of the lower, and it ends as swiftly as it began. One thing that is as familiar for some golfers as a graceful swing is the eventual joint issues that it can also create, not to mention the task of walking a hilly course. Many golfers can eventually experience arthritis or joint discomfort and even severe pain, but with the marvels of modern surgery and medicine, some work can be done to mitigate these issues or make them disappear. For this issue of The Golf Explorer: Michigan’s Journal to Incredible Golf, we spoke with Dr. Kevin Howard, DO, orthopedic surgeon at the University of Michigan Metro Health campuses in Rockford and Wyoming, Michigan, to discover some prospective remedies for mitigating joint pain such as hip and knee replacement surgeries, as well as tips for stopping pain before it starts, on and off the course. A practice offering both hip and knee replacement operations and different approaches to both, Metro Health provides patients with the resources and knowledge to take control of their pain and healing process, and to get back to their game. In your own words, what are some of the most common reasons people may need hip or knee replacement surgery? Dr. Howard: The real reasons out there should be pain and limited activity that can’t be controlled in any other way. Other methods [for control] could include assisted devices like a cane or walker or medications like anti-inf lammatory medications or glucosamine.
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COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN METRO HEALTH MICHIGANGOLFEXPLORER.COM