Podiatrists who treats patients that play a lot of golf are reporting that treatment of common foot injuries is also resulting in dramatic improvements in their patients' golf scores. These doctors say that in most cases their patients had been experiencing pain and discomfort in their feet for some time and that they had unconsciously adjusted their golf swings to accommodate for the pain. Always for the worse.

Once the condition that had been causing the foot pain was taken care of and the pain went away these golfer patients got their swings back, lowered their scores, and made playing golf the pleasant experience that it should be again.

Proper golf swing technique is a little like a physics lesson. Golfers that pound the ball a long way reach back as far as possible in their backswing to create the greatest range of motion and biggest arc while keeping their torso centered over their right leg (for right handed golfers). During the down swing these big hitters create a torque (rotating force) on the clubhead that gains energy as it accelerates. The more tightly the hitter stays wrapped around his center, the less energy he wastes in body motion, and the more energy he transfers to the club on impact. A good follow-through ensures the maximum transfer of energy.

The podiatrists say that foot pain gets in the way of the physics. Arthritis can cause pain in the joint of the big toe making it very difficult to follow-through properly on the swing. A falling arch makes the foot unstable and makes a firm golf stance difficult to impossible. Neuromas are bundles of nerves located in the ball of the foot that cause pain when weight is shifted from one foot to the other during the golf swing.

Happily for most golfers who experience foot pain while playing these most common foot ailments can be corrected with none invasive measures like cortisone shots, shoe paddings, arch supports, and physical therapy. Even arthritic conditions can often be cured. In one case a golfer who had all but given up playing had a bump of bone on his big toe smoothed out. After that he was pain-free and back out on the golf course playing better than ever.

Stress fractures, which are not uncommon in atheletes, are a more serious source of foot pain. Stress fractures can occur in the foot because a particular bone is not able to support the stress that is placed upon it. They can be caused by sudden impact but also by even low energy repetitive activities as is most common with athletic stress fractures. Doctors say that most times the bone can remodel itself and actually get stronger in the areas that receive the most stress but in those cases where the stress becomes too great the bone fractures.

If you have pain in your feet stop trying to compensate for it and get it checked out by a podiatrist. Stop being the guy who wore tight shoes because it felt so good to take them off at the end of the day.