Latest / The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee Replacement / Episode 100: Getting Back to Golf After Knee Replacement (Timelines, Training, and a Gradual Return to the Course)

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Episode 100: Getting Back to Golf After Knee Replacement (Timelines, Training, and a Gradual Return to the Course) · The Total Knee Success Podcast: Your Essential Resource for Navigating Total Knee Replacement

• 0:00
  If you're hesitant to load your surgical leg,
• 0:02
  you may keep more weight on the other side, come
• 0:05
  out of the shot early and whips a ball, or lose
• 0:08
  some of your rotation and follow through. The
• 0:11
  result may be less power, inconsistent contact,
• 0:14
  or more shots heading somewhere other than where
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  you planned. Are you ready to get back to what
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  you love after knee replacement? The Total Knee
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  Success Podcast is your trusted guide with practical
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  tips, evidence -based strategies, and no fluff.
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  It's not personal medical advice, just solid
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  education to help you manage pain, regain mobility,
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  and get back to living the life you love. Let's
• 0:38
  dive in. Welcome back to the Total Knee Success
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  Podcast. I'm Nichelle. If getting back to golf
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  is high on your list, There's a good reason to
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  be optimistic. Most golfers do return after knee
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  replacement. It can mean getting back outside,
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  spending time with friends, returning to league
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  play, or simply enjoying a game that has been
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  part of your life. You may be excited to return
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  while still having questions about timing walking
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  the course and how your swing will feel. At the
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  end of this episode, you'll understand what the
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  research says about return timelines, what helps
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  prepare you to play again, and what a gradual
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  return to the game can look like. Studies on
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  golfers returning to knee replacement report
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  average return times ranging from about four
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  to eight months. One study of 143 regular golfers
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  found that almost all returned, with the average
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  return to an 18 -hole course occurring at about
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  3 .7 months. Another study reported that about
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  82 % returned at an average of 5 .3 months. Other
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  research has reported an average closer to eight
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  months. Those timelines give you perspective
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  rather than a countdown to your first tee time.
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  Each study reports an average across a group
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  of golfers and individuals whose groups returned
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  earlier or later. A friend's return to golf may
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  give you a point of reference, but their timeline
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  may reflect a different course, a different way
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  of playing, and a different healing process.
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  Your own timing also depends on how your knee
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  is healing and whether your strength, balance,
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  walking tolerance, and endurance match the kind
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  of golf you plan to play. Your surgeon's clearance
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  is one part of deciding when to return. Your
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  physical therapist can help you decide whether
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  your current strength, balance, movement, and
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  endurance match the kind of golf you plan to
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  play. Riding nine holes on a familiar, fairly
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  level course is a different physical demand from
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  walking 18 on a hilly course. Your preparation
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  needs to match the version of golf you plan to
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  return to. Start preparing for golf well before
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  you are ready for a full round. Tell your physical
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  therapist early that getting back to golf is
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  one of your goals. If possible, work with a therapist
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  who understands golf and can connect your exercises
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  to the way you actually move on the course. When
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  your therapist knows golf is one of your destinations,
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  they can build those demands into your program
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  instead of finding out about your tee time during
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  the last week of therapy. That includes leg strength,
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  balance, controlled weight shifting. Rotation
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  when you're ready through the ankle, hip, and
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  trunk and enough endurance to maintain those
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  movements throughout a round. It also includes
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  getting into and out of a cart, walking on grass,
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  handling slopes, and bending to tee up or retrieve
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  a ball unless the ball has gone into the water
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  and volunteered to stay there. Weight shifting
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  is often one of the first parts of the swing
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  that feels different after knee replacement.
• 3:36
  If you're hesitant to load your surgical leg,
• 3:38
  You may keep more weight on the other side, come
• 3:41
  out of the shot early and whiff the ball, or
• 3:44
  lose some of your rotation and follow through.
• 3:46
  The result may be less power, inconsistent contact,
• 3:50
  or more shots heading somewhere other than where
• 3:52
  you planned. Your therapist can help you practice
• 3:55
  accepting weight through your surgical leg with
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  control. Research comparing golfers with and
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  without a knee replacement found that many of
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  the hip and knee movements during the swing were
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  similar although differences in rotation remained.
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  So what does this mean? Many golfers can build
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  an effective swing again, but the turn may feel
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  or look a little different. Weight transfer and
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  rotation involve your ankle, knee, hip, pelvis,
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  lumbar spine and your trunk. Ask your therapist
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  to watch how you shift from one leg to the other.
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  Can you accept weight through your surgical leg
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  without quickly moving away from it? Can you
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  rotate while keeping your balance? Can you control
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  the motion instead of using speed to get through
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  it? Can you do it without pain and repeat it
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  when your leg is tired? Many physical therapists
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  can help you prepare to return to golf by addressing
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  strength, balance, mobility, weight transfer,
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  and movement throughout your entire body. I do
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  this in my own practice and many other physical
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  therapists do too. A therapist with golf experience
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  can connect those areas to your swing and the
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  demands of the course. For physical therapy professionals
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  who wanted to take their golf -specific knowledge
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  a step further, something like the Titleist Performance
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  Institute, or TPI, offers them additional training
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  for assisting golfers. TPI calls the relationship
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  between physical abilities and the swing the
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  body -swing connection. While your knee is healing,
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  keep the rest of your body prepared, too. Follow
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  the restrictions from your surgeon and therapist,
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  but ask what kind of upper body and trunk strengthening
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  you can safely continue. Maintaining strength
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  through your shoulders, upper back, arms, and
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  trunk can make returning to the club much easier
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  later. There's no advantage to waiting several
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  months to discover that your knee is doing better,
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  but the rest of your golf body has gone missing.
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  You can also begin reconnecting with the game
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  before you're ready for the course. Putting at
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  home is often a good place to start, and you
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  may be able to begin practicing quite early after
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  surgery. Once you can stand comfortably, and
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  your healthcare team agrees that it's appropriate.
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  Putting gives you a club in your hands without
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  the force or rotation of a full swing. It also
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  helps you challenge your balance in a small controlled
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  way. You're organizing your stance, making small
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  weight adjustments, and standing long enough
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  to repeat the task. It may even be a good time
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  to sharpen your putting. Drive for show, put
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  for dough still applies after knee replacement.
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  Keep the first session short. Five or 10 minutes
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  may be enough. Standing still can be more tiring
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  than walking, especially early on. Notice whether
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  you're locking your surgical leg or shifting
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  most of your weight away from it. Your setup
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  may feel different depending on which knee was
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  replaced and whether you putt right or left -handed.
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  If the stance is uncomfortable or unsteady, bring
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  that observation to physical therapy so you can
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  get some coaching on how to address it. Reading
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  a green may require more knee flexion than the
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  putting stroke itself, especially if you're accustomed
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  to getting low behind the ball. You can ask your
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  PT for tips on being able to squat lower, and
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  if a deep squat continues to be uncomfortable,
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  options include staying higher, stepping farther
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  behind the ball to read the line, or learning
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  something like AimPoint, which is used by golfers
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  including Adam Scott and Justin Rose. AimPoint
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  uses your feet to assess the slope, and aligning
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  your fingers with your view to select a starting
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  line, allowing much of the read to be done while
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  standing. When the ball's in the cup, a pickup
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  attachment on the end of your putter may also
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  reduce how far you need to bend. I linked one
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  from Super Stroke in the episode description.
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  Before getting out on the course, make sure you
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  can safely maneuver on uneven grass and move
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  into short chips from level ground. Then progress
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  to slightly longer chips, pitch shots, and partial
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  swings with a wedge or short iron. From there,
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  add a slightly longer club, a little more rotation.
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  a little more weight transfer, and a little more
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  speed after you've tolerated the previous step.
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  When that feels consistent, add either swing
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  length, club length, or volume. Try adding one
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  at a time. If you move from 10 half wedges to
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  a large bucket with every club in the bag, you
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  might not know which part exceeded your current
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  capacity if you're sore afterward. At the range,
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  the next ball is waiting and golfers can easily
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  turn a small bucket into a performance review.
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  Keep the first few visits short and watch what
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  happens as you tire. Changes in your weight shift,
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  turn, or finish may appear before pain or swelling.
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  Finish while your swing still feels organized
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  so you can see how your knee responds. As you
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  return to longer clubs and fuller swings, your
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  timing, weight shift, rotation, or finish may
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  be different from before surgery. A golf teaching
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  professional who understands your knee replacement
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  can help you adapt your swing to those changes.
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  And one quick equipment note before we move from
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  the range to the course. Early on, reaching your
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  foot, tying laces and pulling on a standard golf
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  shoe can require more knee bend and twisting
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  than you might expect. A hands -free slip -in
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  style may make the shoe easier to put on. Look
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  for a secure fit and traction appropriate for
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  the course conditions. I included Amazon affiliate
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  links to a grouping of several slip -on golf
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  shoes in the show notes. If you purchase through
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  one of those links, I may earn a commission at
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  no additional cost to you. Thank you. Being ready
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  to swing a club and being ready to play around
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  are two different things. Nine or 18 holes can
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  mean several hours on your feet, even if you're
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  using a cart. Before you return, it can help
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  to build your standing and walking tolerance
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  toward the kind of outing you have planned. If
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  you plan to ride, prepare for the total time
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  out, not only the number of steps. You still
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  have to get in and out of the cart repeatedly,
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  walk from the path to the ball, and stand for
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  every shot. If you spend enough time on your
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  feet beforehand, the length of an outing is not
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  a surprise. If you plan to walk, build the distance
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  before you combine it with golf. A steady walk
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  on a predictable surface gives you a starting
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  point. Walking on a course also involves grass,
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  slopes, cart paths, interruptions, and the occasional
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  sand trap. Maybe, hopefully not, but maybe. Walking
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  through sand and stepping in and out of a bunker
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  can be more demanding than expected, even if
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  the shot's the easy part. If walking the course
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  is still one of the harder parts, my intentionally
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  concise book, Walking Like Yourself Again After
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  Knee Replacement, explains why walking can remain
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  awkward or tiring and how the different parts
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  of gait work together. The link is in the show
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  notes. Your first trip back might be a few holes
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  at an uncrowded time or nine holes on a familiar
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  course. If possible, Choose a dry day because
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  wet grass and soft ground can make your footing
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  less predictable. Use a cart if it helps limit
• 10:41
  the walking, and that's something that you need.
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  That gives you a chance to see how your knee
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  responds before you add more holes or more walking.
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  Your first round back does not need to include
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  every possible lie. If the ball lands on a steep
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  slope, in deep rough, or in a bunker that's difficult
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  to enter and exit, move it or pick it up during
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  a casual round. You already know how to play
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  the shot. You don't need to prove it while you're
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  still learning what your knee can handle. Pay
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  attention to the later holes. Many golfers feel
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  fine at the start and gradually lose their turn,
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  weight transfer, or walking quality as their
• 11:15
  fatigue builds. If your swing begins changing
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  because your leg is tired, another nine holes
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  will not improve it. You might want to end while
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  the outing is still enjoyable. How does your
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  knee respond later that day and the next morning?
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  More swelling, knee stiffness, a new limp or
• 11:31
  reduced motion, can mean the outing was a bit
• 11:34
  too demanding for that day. You might shorten
• 11:36
  it the next outing or allow more time between
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  rounds. Seek medical guidance if symptoms continue
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  to worsen and seek prompt evaluation for calf
• 11:45
  pain. Chest pain or shortness of breath requires
• 11:48
  urgent care. Getting back to golf usually works
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  best as a progression, from putting in shorter
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  swings to the range and course. Let your surgeon's
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  clearance, your therapist's input, and your knee's
• 12:00
  response guide the pace. Let the calendar keep
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  score of the weeks. You can keep score of the
• 12:06
  first balanced chip, the first putt that drops,
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  and the first round that feels enjoyable again.
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  Each one is part of getting your game back. Episode
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  100 also feels like a good place to pause. And
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  thank you for listening, sharing the podcast,
• 12:22
  and bringing the total new success to this milestone.
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  I appreciate every one of you who has made the
• 12:27
  first 100 episodes possible. In episode 101,
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  Road Trips After Knee Replacement, we begin our
• 12:35
  travel and outdoor activity series. We'll talk
• 12:38
  about knee stiffness, swelling, movement breaks,
• 12:41
  driving, and practical considerations for long
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  hours in the car after surgery. The series will
• 12:47
  continue with flying, hiking, and getting back
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  on a bicycle. Thanks for joining me. I'm Michelle,
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  and this has been the Totally Success podcast.
• 12:59
  This podcast is for educational purposes only.
• 13:03
  Discover more at TotalMeSuccess .com and be sure
• 13:07
  to subscribe and share because every step forward
• 13:10
  takes you closer to living the life you love.