Thanks Ron
My name is Barry Portnoy
I am a Dentist from Westborough MA
I am currently studying how a Mouthguard can be used to Improve Golf Performance
On-the-Links
to Enhance GAME TIME EXECUTION
Watch These 3 Videos First and Only Continue if you are Still Interested in being Part of this Project
SEE VIDEOS BELOW:
The Basic Idea is to Change the Skeletal and Muscular Physiology and Airway Dynamics to Improve Golf Performance.
We can only improve an athlete's performance if he/she has dysfunction in his/her Head and Neck and Occlusion that we can see as a result of Body Asymmetry
If that is the case we think that we can performance enhance the golfer (We are not sure as we have never done this before)
Where do we start this process
1. We know what it looks like when your posture is out of wack and you have dysfunction in your neck and occlsion (your "bite")
2. If you stand in front of the athlete, he/she is a good candidate for this project if you will notice at least 2 of the following:
For a Right Handed Dominant Athlete
1. Head is Not Centered over Spine
Head is Tilted to the Left and Forward
2. Has a Rounding of Shoulders
3. Right Shoulder is Lower than Left
4. Right Hip is Higher than Left Hip
5. Right Knee is Higher than Left Knee
6. Her Rib Cage is Not Symmetrical (This decreases lung capacity and negatively affects Stamina. A decreased lung capacity also decrease oxygen to the brain. This decreases an athltete's ability to concentration and focus under stress.)
7. This Body Asymmetry, Vertebral Mal-Aligment Hinders Athletic Performance
8. FHP or Forward Head Posture
we believe is a Major Issue
9. Is there any Dental Midline Asymmetry
10. Is there any TMJ Dysfunction
a. FHP causes tension in the Masseter, Pterygoids,
11. A Great Athlete Compensates for this by Adaptive Mechanisms which Kicks in and without Knowing to Compensate the Neck starts coming Forward. Again, we are back to the FHP Forward Head Posture Issues
12. WE TEST INITIALLY TO SEE IF WE CAN CHANGE "THE BITE" OF THE ATHLETE in .25 mm INCREMENTS TO SEE IF HE/SHE WILL RESPOND POSTIVELY TO ONE OF OUR DOWELS. THIS WILL TELL US IF WE CAN CHANGE HIS/HER SKELETAL PHYSIOLOGY
MUSCLE PHYSIOLOGY AND AIRWAY DYNAMICS TO UTILIZE HIS/HER BODY ENERGY MORE EFFICIENTLY. THIS IS LIKE A "WOOOH" FACTOR. YOU ARE DEFINITELY NOT STRONGER THAN YOU WERE JUST 10 SECONDS AGO. WE ARE JUST TRYING TO PLACE YOU BODY IN A MORE PHYSIOLOGIC REST POSITION
13. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT POINT:
I CAN NOT I REPEAT I CAN NOT
a. MAKE YOU ANY STRONGER THAN YOU ACTUALLY ARE BECAUSE OF ALL YOUR GAME TIME PREPARATION WRT STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING AND PRACTICE THAN YOU ACTUALLY ARE
b. ALL WE ARE DOING IS FINDING A
FIXED JAW POSITION SO THAT THE BODY STRENGTH YOU ALREADY HAVE CAN BE DISTRIBUTED TO YOUR CORE MUSCLES MORE EFFICIENTLY. as a RESULT OF VERTEBRAL RE-ALIGNMENT for BETTER MUSCLE RECRUITMENT TO ALLOW YOU TO BE MECHANICALLY MORE EFFICIENT
HOW DOES THIS MOUTHGUARD PROJECT HYPOTHOSIS WORK:
IF AN ATHLETE HAS
CRANIO-MANDIBULAR-CERVICAL
(HEAD-NECK-C SPINE)
(OCCIPUT-C1-C2)
ISSUES (AS A RESULT OF WHEN THE BITE IS INHIBITING THE MANAGEMENT OF THE HEAD & NECK POSITION)
BY USING A MOUTHGUARD TO MANAGE OCCIPUT TO CERVICAL VERTEBRAL POSITION CAN WE ALTER SKELETAL AND MUSCULAR PHYSIOLOGY AND AIRWAY DYNAMICS TO GIVE THE ATHLETE
BETTER VERTEBRAL ALIGNMENT
BETTER MUSCLE RECRUITMENT
BETTER OXYGEN / CARBON DIOXIDE
EXCHANGE
AND AS A RESULT OF THAT
CAN WE IMPROVE THE ATHLETES
STRENGTH
FLEXIBILITY
BALANCE
RANGE OF MOTION
STAMINA AND ENDURANCE
DURING GAME TIME EXECUTION
FINALLY: SEE THESE VIDEOS
How important is Skeletal Alignment as it affects the Muscle Physiology of an athlete to help him/her perform better?
How Important is Flexibiltiy to a Golfer?
How Important is BETTER Vertebral Alignment to a Golfer?
WATCH BELOW and SEE WHY it can be important.
A Mouthguard Is the Only Variable In Changing Her Skeletal and Muscle Physiology!
How Important Is Strength To A Golfer?
Is A Stronger Golfer Better Than A Weaker Golfer?
How Important is BETTER Vertebral Alignment to a Golfer?
How Important Is Flexibility To A Golfer?
Is It Better To Be More Flexible Or More Rigid?
Is a more Flexible Range of Motion Golfer BETTER a More Rigid?
How Important is BETTER Alignment is for a Golfer?
How Important is Breathing To A Golfer?
We Will Control Your Airway Space Opening Through Our Mouthguard So That We Can Help You Breathe Easier Thorughout The Game. The More Oxygen to your brain the More Relaxed and Focused you can be
How Important is BETTER Vertebral Alignment for a Golfer?
With respect to this Golf project:
To Give You A Competitive Edge
Playing Golf At Your Optimal "FIXED JAW POSITION"
Goals: To Translate All This Into A Better Golf Game "With Mouth Device As Only Variables"
1. Can we Visually Alter the Athlete's FHP and Postural
Chain for Better Vertebral Alignment and
Muscle Recruitment
2. Can we Make a Golfer Stronger Functionally and More Mechanically Efficient
a) More strength from better muscle recruitment leads
to better distance and the ability to hit the ball
solidly from various lines
3. Can we Improve His/Her
Grip Mechanics
Stance Mechanics
Swing Mechanics
Hand-Eye-Ball Coordination
Hit Ball Harder + Hit Ball Farther
a) By improve flexibility and range of motion as
a result of better body symmetry for greater
shoulder turn increases club head speed
resulting in greater distance
Putting
a) When the muscle of the head, jaws, neck and
shoulders are more relaxed, there is less
tension when you are over the ball, particularly
for putting
Thinking and Relaxation
a) Greater oxygen intake leads to better stamina
for clearer thinking through all 18 holes
b) Being positioned an a more physiological
rest position not gritting/grinding your
natural teeth will take pressure off your
TMJ to help reduce stress and cortisol
4. Does the Golfer Want To Wear a Mouthpiece in a Sport Not Requiring One?
5. Are Mouthpieces Devices Results - Placebo or Real?
6. Does the Golfer have any Positive or Negative comments about wearing the Mouthpiece Device?
7. Do you feel your Golf Performance Improved by 1-2-3-5% or Hindered your Performance?
How to use Mouthdevice:
A. Mouthpiece works Immediately and you ca talk with it in your mouth
B. Place over lower teeth
C. Engage in Mouthpiece prior to:
1. Driving Golf Ball
Greater Driving Distances
Greater Club Head Speed
2. Hitting Fairway Shots
3. Putting
Procedure;
1. To fill out a health history.
2. If you are under 18 yo. your parent must fill out your health history and sign in person before you can participate. Min. age requirement 15 ½ yo. due to growth and development issues of jaws.
3. Attend a 1 hour lecture about why and what we believe you will experience with respect to skeletal and physiological changes in your body that might occur.
3. You will go through a preliminary test to see if you would be a good candidate for this project.
4. Have an oral examination of your teeth.
5. Have a dental impression taken of your lower teeth (or have your family dentist take an impression and mail it to me)
6. Return for equilibration of the new mouth device once it is fabricated. Photographs of the mouth device positioned in your mouth as well as videos displaying exercises related to changes in muscle strength or breathing dynamics or flexibility or balance.
7. You give Dr. Portnoy the right to show any of the above and photographs of you on the field with and without the mouth device for lecture, demonstration and educational purposes.
8. Dr Portnoy with Ron would to Film Unscripted Hitting of Golf Balls for Distance
9. You will fill out a 2 page subjective evaluation form and return it after being able to compare games with and without Mouthpiece .
10. You may opt out of project at anytime: If device hinders your play; You prefer to go back wearing your old mouthguard; Or by just returning the mouth device.
11. There are no financial cost to participants.
Thanks for listening
Dr Portnoy
Cell: 508-479-3065
We use a combination of a MORA TMJ Appliance Theory and a PRI MOOO MANDIBULAR OCCIPITAL OCCLUSAL ORTHODIC Splint Appliance Neutral Theory Positioning Incorprated into a Type III Mouthpiece taking into consideration:
Your Age: It works best we find if you are at least 16 1/2 years old
Dental Occlusion
TMJ
Body Asymmetry - Head,Shoulder, Hip &Pelvis Position
Vertebral Alignment - Postural Chain, OA and AA Space
Muscle Recruitment - Muscles Attach To Bones
Cranio-Mandibular-Cervical Relationship as it relates to Posterior Rotation of the Cranium and Forward Head Posture
