Stroke against stroke

Ian A MCMillan gets in the swing with golf physio Vesselin Savoia

The American author and humourist Mark Twain golf may have famously dismissed golf as a ‘good walk spoiled’, but the sport continues to give its aficionados equal measures of pleasure and frustration.

To physiotherapist Vesselin Savoia, however, golf has a hidden therapeutic quality.

He is convinced that participating in the sport can play an important part in the rehabilitation of people who have had a stroke or other type of brain injury.

Mr Savoia was inspired by numerous visits to the ground-breaking Physiotherapy Project Golf in Cologne, Germany, which was set up by a stroke survivor and her husband in the 1990s.

He has now opened his own clinic, the Golf Physio, in north London.

‘Stroke against Stroke is an innovative project aimed at helping survivors of a stroke to become reintegrated into the community by learning to play golf,’ he explains.

‘The programme is beneficial for young and old alike, and for those with a range of disabilities, including hemiplegia and paraesthesia.’

Research by Ontario physiotherapist Shari Shatil and colleagues backs the concept of therapeutic golf (see, for example, SM Shatil et al. Physiotherapy Canada 2005: 57; 101-112).

Participants in the Cologne project showed improved concentration, balance and coordination, according to Mr Savoia.

Most of his patients enjoy putting, he says – a gentle movement that doesn’t require a lot of strength. He finds the golf swing itself helps to improve patients’ balance and coordination.

Aware that many people become less active after a stroke and that survivors often become withdrawn from their community, Mr Savoia is convinced that golf can act as a catalyst for change.

He hopes to trigger people’s competitive streaks by setting up matches between those with and without disabilities.

‘Golf is a leisurely and therapeutic sport that can be practised regularly and on a long-term basis,’ he explains.

‘It allows people to share an experience outside the home, close to nature, and helps to raise their self-esteem.’

A golf coach himself, Mr Savoia can call on a small pool of local professionals to support him when necessary.

Patients can be referred by their doctors or contact the clinic directly.

‘What I like most about the project is the satisfaction I feel at the end result – to see that I have helped people to experience a normal life,’ he adds.

‘I enjoy open-air working,’ he says, ‘and my aim is to send at least one participant to the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2016.’

The Golf Physio, Hendon Golf Club, Ashley Walk, Devonshire Road, London NW7 1DG, 07882 812949, info@thegolfphysio.co.uk, www.thegolfphysio.co.uk