Blogs

Insane in the Membrane: Lower leg pain of a Golfer!

   Friday, October 14, 2022

   Competitive Edge

Initial Lower Leg Injury

We are currently treating a client (an avid golfer) who has been complaining of pain in her lower leg. She had had this lower leg pain for almost 8 months! She initially thought it was an ankle sprain since there was a traumatic event during a round of golf. Shortly after, the swelling in the ankle went down and she could go back to doing her daily activities.

The Missing Piece Keeping Her From Golf

However she noticed that whenever she would workout or try to golf, the pain would return. She would be sore throughout the outside of her lower leg. This had caused her to end her golfing season earlier than what she wanted to and she was hesitant about starting to golf again. After going through a detailed assessment, we determined that not only had she sprained her ankle during but she had also done some damage to the interosseous membrane. The interosseous membrane connects the two bones in her lower leg.

So now, every time she tried to workout or golf, there was no stability in the space connecting both bones . The surrounding muscles would have to work twice as much to try and maintain the balance in the lower leg. That was causing wear and tear on the joints and was resulting in various compensation patterns.

What’s An “Interosseous” and What Does It Have To Do With Golf?!

The interosseous membrane is a fibrous membrane that maintains the integrity of the space between several anatomical structures. The two places that are mentioned the most is in the forearm and the lower leg. Because of the composition of this structure, it can provide stability between the joint. But it also maintains an elastic property that helps support heavy loads throughout different movement angles. Whenever we transfer weight from one leg to another like we do in a gold swing, the interosseous membrane helps the ligaments around our ankles keep us stable.

image1

During a golf swing, the interosseous membrane allows the rotation to happen on our stabilizing leg to complete the swing. If the interosseous membrane is damaged, all those movements become painful. The lower leg would feel unstable when you’re putting pressure through one leg.

How We Relieved Her Lower Leg Pain And Got Her Back Golfing!

The first thing we did was release the tight muscles that were applying so much pressure to the lower leg. Once those relaxed, we were able to do some mobilizations on the joints which had been put under so much pressure. We made sure that the bones were working properly in connection to one another and once the joints were working better, she was given exercises to improve her balance. This helped remind the interosseous of its job as a stabilizer. This meant everything in her lower leg would be doing it’s correct job during her golf swing.

As of now, she is has been able to play a 9 hole course of golf with an ankle brace for extra support. We are hoping to make it a full 18-round with no extra support soon!!

 

 

If you are suffering with ankle or lower leg pain, let us help. Apply for a free starter session HERE.

Share This On: