Mayo Clinic receives grant to study 'yips' in golfers

Monday, January 29, 2007

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - The yips, a possible movement disorder that causes frustration for golfers when their calculated putt stoke is interrupted by an unexplained spasm, is set to be studied in detail by Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University (ASU).

The collaborative effort, funded by a grant from Allergan Inc., will allow researchers to explore normal putting as well as the yips condition, concentrating on golfers' fine muscle and joint movements. Until now, details about the fine muscle and joint movements used during putting have been limited.

The yips, experienced by golfers in chipping as well as putting, is currently thought to be a task-specific movement disorder similar to writer's cramp and musician's cramp. The condition appears to worsen in pressure situations such as tournaments and competitive play, and usually during putts shorter than five feet.

Lead investigator on the study is Charles H. Adler, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Neurology and chair, Mayo Clinic Division of Movement Disorders. Joining him will be John N. Caviness, M.D., Neurology, Mayo Clinic; Debbie Crews, Ph.D., Marco Santello, Ph.D. and Kanav Kahol, Ph.D., Department of Kinesiology, ASU.

"The new components of this yips research will include moving our study from our lab at Mayo Clinic to the real putting green at ASU's golf course in order to study joint position and muscle activation," said Adler. "We will extend our studies of surface electromyography (EMG) recordings during putting, looking at normal activity and involuntary movements. Also, we will add the use of the Cyberglove, a technology that allows us to monitor various joint positions during movement."

Average, as well as professional golfers, will be studied to gain a better understanding of how muscles become activated, how they contract and which joints move when putting.  Comparisons of golfers with and without the yips will allow for investigating the difference in muscle activation and joint movements.

The goal is to determine if a different group of muscle contractions and/or joint movements that occur in some or all golfers with the yips could point to the cause of the disorder. Researchers will strive to determine the cause for the yips and then allow for focus on a treatment for those who experience the disorder on the golf course. If the yips proves to be a form of dystonia (writer's cramp, musician's cramp, etc.) in some golfers, as previous research has suggested, the findings may have broader implications for others who suffer from dystonia.

For more information on this study, contact Marie Malikowski, R.N., (480) 301-8280.

Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated, not-for-profit group practice in the world. As a leading academic medical center in the Southwest, Mayo Clinic focuses on providing specialty and surgical care in more than 65 disciplines at its outpatient facility in north Scottsdale and at Mayo Clinic Hospital. The 208-licensed bed hospital is located at 56th Street and Mayo Boulevard (north of Bell Road) in northeast Phoenix, and provides inpatient care to support the medical and surgical specialties of the clinic, which is located at 134th Street and Shea Boulevard in Scottsdale.

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