Tiger Woods is playing this weekend and many golfers want to know if his last surgery was a success and how will he perform after such a long layoff. 

If you watched his press conference yesterday, you noticed he was limping. 

If you've ever had an injury or tightness yourself, then you likely cringe at watching him walk around as though you can feel his pain too.

Back in the day, Tiger Woods was said to have a 30-degree hip turn with a 90- degree shoulder turn. His body was incredibly flexible, strong and powerful. 

That was before back surgery 1, 2, 3, 4 and eventually 5 before his accident.

Which brings us to today…

Let's talk about two important terms you may have heard of or might be completely new to you - Muscle guarding and compensation. 

Muscle guarding and compensation are related concepts in the context of the body's response to injury or discomfort.

Muscle guarding is the involuntary tensing or tightening of muscles around an injured or painful area. It's a protective mechanism that the body uses to limit movement in that particular region.

The primary goal of muscle guarding is to protect the injured or vulnerable area by reducing motion and stabilizing the affected part of the body.

Example: If you've sprained your ankle, the muscles around the ankle might automatically tighten up to prevent excessive movement and protect the injured ligaments.

Compensation refers to the body's natural tendency to adjust movement patterns to work around a limitation or weakness. When one part of the body is unable to function optimally, other areas may take on additional stress to maintain overall function.

Compensation helps the body continue performing tasks despite an injury or weakness in a specific area. It's a way of redistributing the workload to keep functioning as normally as possible.

If you have pain in your right knee, you might unconsciously shift more weight to your left side or alter your walking pattern to minimize discomfort in the affected knee.

How it works for you as a golfer:

Muscle Guarding for a Golfer:

It's like when you feel a twinge or pain after a swing—your body automatically tightens the muscles around that area to protect it.

Your body is trying to prevent more movement in the sore spot, almost like a natural way of saying, "Hold on, let's not swing too much right now."

Compensation for a Golfer:

Think of it as your body's backup swing plan. If one part, like your back or shoulder, is bothering you, your body might subtly change your swing to use other muscles more.

Your body is smart and wants to keep you playing. If something doesn't feel quite right, it might adjust how you swing so you can still enjoy golf without making the sore part work too hard.

So, muscle guarding is like your body's quick reaction to protect a hurting area, and compensation is its way of adjusting your swing so you can keep playing comfortably. Both are like your body's golf strategies for staying in the game, even when it's a bit sore.

What can you do?

>>keep your body as strong and supple as possible and well balanced 

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