The Sports Physical Therapy Podcast · Mike Reinold

Golf Injuries and Performance with Mike Scaduto - Episode 35

·50 min·3 clips

Golf can put about eight times body weight through the lumbar spine.

1. The Sports Physical Therapy Podcast episode centers on golf injuries and golf performance with Mike Scudutto. 2. Mike Scudutto is a physical therapist at Champion PT and Performance, vice chair of the golf SIG of the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy, and a scratch golfer who reached 0.0 last year. 3. The episode asks what physical therapists need to know to work with golfers, reduce injury risk, and improve performance. 4. Mike says golf is often viewed as leisurely, but the golf swing is “very stressful on the body.” 5. He identifies low back pain as the number one golf-related injury and says shoulder pain is also common. 6. Mike explains that golf can flare up previous injuries when players ramp up at the start of the season or hit a lot of balls. 7. He says the asymmetrical swing creates overload in some tissues and underload in others over time. 8. Mike highlights early extension, sway, and slide as swing patterns that place significantly more stress on the lumbar spine. 9. He says a max-effort driver swing creates about eight times body weight of compressive force on the lumbar spine. 10. He connects early extension with more shear force, plus irritation of neural structures, discs, and facet joints. 11. Mike says his approach starts with identifying whether a golfer is stiff or hypermobile. 12. He says stiff golfers often need mobility work for the hips and thoracic spine. 13. He says hypermobile golfers often need strength, stability, and motor control work. 14. Mike describes younger junior, high school, and college golfers as often hypermobile, long in the backswing, and prone to power leaks. 15. He describes older golfers as more likely to have limited shoulder turn, leading to an over-the-top move and early extension. 16. Mike says the golf swing is a reflection of how the body moves, so movement limitations often explain technical patterns. 17. For performance work, Mike uses a TPI-based assessment, movement screens, force plates, and normative data. 18. He says vertical jump and other power measures help target gym work that may increase club head speed. 19. The conversation is practical, collaborative, and coach-oriented, with a clear focus on PT, PGA coaches, and strength coaches working together. 20. Golfers, sports physical therapists, and coaches who want a body-based approach to golf improvement would likely value this episode, while listeners looking for swing instruction only may skip it.

As heard by us

Strongest on relationship-building and niche practice growth in golf PT.

The episode takes a practical look at golf-focused physical therapy, balancing on-course performance with the realities of building a niche practice.

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Why you'd press play

Golf PT, swing-coach relationships, and how a niche can grow through referrals.

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