Don't choke before you finish reading this article...A phenomenon familiar to many expert golfers known as the "yips" is shedding some insight into potential causes of the disorder.
Also known as golfer's cramp, the symptoms of the yips include sudden tremors, jerking or freezing while putting, but no pain or discomfort (if you discount the discomfort of lower performance.)
Focal dystonia
Traditionally, the disorder has been viewed as a psychological issue, prompted by performance anxiety that's so severe it makes putting nearly impossible in the most severe cases.
But research carried out by the Mayo Clinic over the past few years suggests that it may also be caused by focal dystonia - a disorder characterized by involuntary, rapid muscle movements.
"While pressure situations make the problem worse, it is difficult to imagine why good golfers would suddenly begin having the yips after years of successful performance if it was only a matter of anxiety or 'choking,'" says Aynsley Smith, Ph.D., Director of Sport Psychology and Sports Medicine Research at the Mayo Clinic.
"Although performance anxiety may cause the yips in many golfers, muscle and nervous system deterioration caused by prolonged overuse may be at the root of the problem for other players," says Smith. "This may explain why some get relief and play successfully by changing their grip or by switching to a longer putter."
A research trip most scientists only dream of
More recently, Mayo Clinic researcher Dr. Charles Adler, looking into possible causes, took his research on the green to better simulate the stress that appears to prompt or worsen the symptoms of yips.
Teaming-up with other Mayo colleagues and researchers at Arizona State University (ASU), the group looked at 24 golfers experiencing yips and 24 non-yips golfers as each performed common putting tasks.
Participants were outfitted with special gloves that contained sensors, providing researchers with relevant feedback, yielding insight into how and why dystonia strikes, as well as what possible treatments may help curtail the problem.
The researchers noted that the disorder translates into any profession or hobby that involves strenuous, repetitive movement, such as is witnessed with writer's cramp or musician's cramp.
The team hopes that research into possible treatments may soon yield potential therapies for other movement disorders.
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