From Injury to Innovation

How Athletic Therapy & 3D Data is Changing the Game for Golfers

Golf is a game of precision, but for many, it’s also a game of pain. Whether it’s a junior golfer pushing too hard or a seasoned player struggling with injury, the journey back to peak performance can feel like guesswork. Michele Liew, founder of Swing Lab, knows this firsthand. After a career-ending injury derailed her own golf journey, Michele channeled her frustration into expertise, blending biomechanics, athletic therapy, and 3D technology to transform how golfers move and play.

With 12 years of experience and graduate research at the University of Florida focusing on movement patterns and injury risks in golfers, Michele has built Swing Lab into a hub for injury prevention and recovery. Using tools like Sportsbox 3D Golf, her team connects the dots between body mechanics and swing performance, helping clients move better both on and off the course.

Sportsbox 3D Golf is an essential tool in Swing Lab’s approach to assessment and improvement. Michele integrates Sportsbox Studio at her clinic, using 3D analysis to complement her team's expertise in manual therapy and corrective exercises. By capturing a golfer’s swing before and after therapy sessions, Michele can provide visual proof of progress, fostering greater awareness and buy-in from clients. The mobile and studio flexibility of Sportsbox ensures golfers can track their improvement seamlessly, no matter where they are.

Michele and her team have found  great success in helping clients identify weaknesses, alleviate pain/stress on their body, gain speed and distance, and most importantly — grow the longevity of their game! Here’s an example of a new client of Swing Lab’s that has already seen immense growth in 4 short weeks: 

Each client’s journey at Swing Lab begins with a detailed assessment of mobility, stability, strength, neuromuscular control, and joint loading patterns during the golf swing. Michele and her team use 3D data from Sportsbox to identify relationship between physical restrictions, such as hip immobility or trunk rotation issues with the golfer's swing characteristics. Through 3D, they can breakdown how the body is being utilized in the swing and identify the root causes to improve the body movements for a more efficient swing. From there, clients follow a tailored plan involving manual therapy, exercises, and drills to optimize movement. After therapy, Michele uses Sportsbox to verify how these changes translate into improved swing mechanics, creating a clear connection between body function and golf performance.

For biomechanics and physical therapy professionals, Michele’s advice is simple: tools like Sportsbox 3D Golf can elevate your practice by bridging the gap between therapy and functional performance. While traditional 2D analysis is limited in capturing movement patterns, Sportsbox’s 3D capabilities allow therapists to identify and address the root causes of injury and inefficiency.

Michele believes in finding one or two key metrics to simplify data for clients, fostering better understanding and adherence.

Swing Lab exemplifies how combining biomechanics with advanced technology like Sportsbox 3D Golf can revolutionize client outcomes. Whether it’s helping a junior golfer avoid the same pitfalls Michele faced or empowering adult golfers to move pain-free, Michele and her team are setting a new standard for injury prevention and performance improvement in golf.