It caused a lot of bad backs. Today, the ergonomic gurus teach more of a level swing with minimal changes in the angle of the spine as you rotate and complete the follow-through. This more erect angle puts a lot less strain on the torso. Perhaps not, says Robert Radtke, a Birmingham chiropractic kinesiologist who has treated sports-related injuries since 1980. He names lower back stress, shoulder and rotator cuff dysfunction, and pain in the elbow and knee joints as the most common problems for golfers.
Kinesiology is the study of the principles of mechanics and anatomy in relation to human movement.
In a broader sense, Radtke says, it also includes evaluation of the nervous, vascular and lymphatic systems, nutrition, acupuncture and cerebrospinal fluid function. Golfer's elbow seems to strike the right arm, where tendinitis can develop on both sides of the elbow. The inner side gets it from striking the ground by hitting too many fat shots. The back, hip and knee injuries stem mostly from the twisting and turning action of the golf swing itself. The left hip and left knee stay fixed and the body has to turn around them to finish the swing.