Loss of Power Could Stem From Medication

There are causes of distance loss for golfers that may not be directly related to the swing or the equipment. It might be muscle-related.

According to medical reports, there are two kinds of muscle weakness: true weakness and perceived weakness. “True weakness describes a condition where the instantaneous force exerted by the muscles is less than would be expected for example, when motor neurons are damaged and can no longer stimulate the muscles to exert normal force.”

Basically, no electrical current is getting through to the muscle to make it work. “Perceived weakness describes a condition where it seems’ to the patient that more effort than normal is required to exert a given amount of force.

For instance, some people with chronic fatigue syndrome may struggle to climb a set of stairs when feeling especially fatigued, even though their muscle strength when objectively measured(e.g., the maximum weight they can press with their legs) is essentially normal.”

Syndicated columnist Dr. Paul Donohue outlines a potential cause of muscle strength decrease that could impact your golf . drugs. He writes: “Statin drugs (Lipitor, Zocor, Pravachol, Crestor, Lescol and Mevacor) are the most effective cholesterol-lowering drugs available... (but) they can cause muscle problems.

Myalgia is one of those problems. It is muscle inflammation with tenderness and pain. Myopathy is another problem. It’s muscle achiness and weakness. And the third, and most serious, complication is rhabdomyolysis, muscle disintegration.

This happens very rarely, to about one in 10,000 users. Lowering the dose, switching to another statin or changing to a different medicine is usually all the treatment necessary, except for rhabdomyolysis, or the breakdown of muscle mass.

“The exact mechanism that causes statin-induced muscle trouble,” the doctor says, “hasn’t been clearly demonstrated.” Obviously, loss of distance comes from many sources, but my advice is, if you take statins, ask your doctor if they could be causing weakness.