Physicians Sports and Injury Center has an abundance of healing tools.

Is an Ailing Back Taking the Fun out of Golf? We've Got Just the Cure

Physicians Sports and Injury Center in Westmont specializes in making golfers as good as new

If you’ve reached middle age like I have, playing golf probably causes at least occasional back pain. It’s just another annoying part of growing older.

For most golfers, the easy solution is to either take a brief break from the links or pop an Advil or two before teeing it up. (There’s a reason you see so commercials for pain-relief medications during golf telecasts.) Other golfers do stretching exercises.  If none of these things work, a visit to the doctor is the next step.

For me, a sore back had been commonplace after a round of golf for about the past five years. Even worse, earlier this winter I could barely swing a golf club. My ultimate demise was an hour or so of shoveling heavy, wet snow. The next morning I could barely get out of bed, and tying my shoelaces proved to be nearly impossible.

With the golf season starting up in a few months and my annual golf trip to Phoenix just around the corner, I knew I needed to do something fast. After consulting some golf friends, I decided to call Dr. Darrell Wehrend, who owns Physicians Sports and Injury Center in Westmont.

Wehrend has been working with golfers for years.  Among his clients are PGA Tour players Mark Wilson, Jeff Sluman, Gary Groh, and Gary Pinns, as well as University of Illinois golf coach Mike Small. He also works with about a dozen local club PGA professionals. Besides being a chiropractor for over 25 years, he has a Level 1 Titleist Performance Institute degree and is a Master Golf Fitness Instructor.

I knew I was in good hands after my initial evaluation because he used a bunch of seven-syllable words to describe what was wrong with me. More importantly, he said he could take care of it.

I soon discovered that part of my problem was I never really stretched on a regular basis, and those I did do weren’t optimal.  After he stretched me for about half an hour and had me work on some incredible stretching and exercise equipment for another hour on my own, I left the facility feeling pretty good. Two more sessions later, I was a new man.  Now I go there at least twice a week.  As for my large bottle of Advil? It’s back in the medicine cabinet where it belongs.

On one recent visit, I stumbled across Bruce Patterson, PGA Professional at Butler National Golf Club in Oak Brook. 

“Many of my members have had nagging injuries for years that not only have affected their golf games but also their quality of life,” Patterson told me. “Dr. Darrell has helped many of these guys improve their golf games and helped eliminate many of their aches and pains.”

Physicians Sports and Injury Center is unique because it is much more than a chiropractic facility. It also has the latest exercise equipment and a trained staff of physicians who are more than eager to lend a knowledgeable hand when you’re working out. There are more than 40 pieces of equipment, and among my favorites is the MedX torso rotation machine.  Because of this machine, I can already see an improvement in my rotation and the follow-through of my swing.

Another machine I use regularly is the MedX low back extension machine.  I feel this piece of equipment has helped to rid me of the backaches that had haunted me for years.

Wehrend is especially proud of his spinal decompression machine. He says it has helped many golfers eliminate the need for back surgery because it can resolve lumbar disc herniation, which causes sciatica (shooting pain down the leg), and cervical disc herniation, which causes pain in the shoulder blade region and/or down the arms.

To cap everything off, Physicians Sports and Injury Center is a great place simply to hang out. The Golf Channel is often on one of the large-screen televisions, and golf discussions are always taking place amongst the links-loving clients. In addition, there’s a golf net if you get tired of working out.

That said, this place is not for the faint of heart. Strenuous exercise and stretching are key parts of the program. But if you’re serious about your long-term health and improving your golf game, I know of no better place.

(To learn more about Physicians Sports and Injury Center, call 630-323-2225 or go online to PhysiciansSports.com.)