how to avoid back pain golf

How can I prevent back pain from playing golf?

Four key areas of prevention for the sport of golf include: warm-up, swing, bio-mechanics, and carrying the golf bag. Going directly to the tee at 7 a.m., pulling out the driver, and then proceeding to try to hit the cover off the ball is probably the surest way to sprain one's back muscles and result in low back pain.

Is your golf swing causing you back pain?

Common Causes of Golf Back Pain The golf swing can be dangerous if you’re not properly trained. Poor swing mechanics combined with rotational forces can cause significant damage to your spine. There’s a real, inherent risk to the lumbar spine (lower back) and thoracic spine (upper back).

Should I take golf lessons to avoid a low back injury?

To avoid a low back injury, beginners would be well advised to work with a golf pro when starting out, since most aspects of a golf swing are not natural or intuitive. Additionally, golf lessons may be useful for senior golfers who have decreased flexibility and strength.

How to hit a golf ball without hurting your back?

The torso will likely tilt by about 25 degrees. Bend slightly at the knees. By keeping the knees bent at about 25 degrees as well, the golf club can hit the ball without causing the lower back to bend. Keep the feet shoulder-width apart and rotated outwards.

How do I stop my back from hurting when I play golf?

5 EASY TIPS TO PREVENT OR REDUCE BACK PAIN DUE TO GOLFING:Warm-Up Properly. Studies have shown that golfers who have stiffer back rotation and less joint range of motion have more back pain. ... Improve Your Swing Mechanics. ... Maintain Neutral Spine Positioning. ... Strengthen Your Core. ... Don't Try to Play Like a Pro.

Why does golf make my back hurt?

Low, middle, and upper back pain are common symptoms of golf-related injuries. Golf is a game of muscle memory, and its repetitive motions can lead to inflammation, strains, and other injuries of the muscles and discs of the spine, throwing you off your game.

How do I strengthen my back for golf?

These 3 Exercises Will Keep Your Back Safe on the Golf CoursePlanks. For a tour-ready core, we recommend one exercise over all others: the plank. ... Seated Rotations. This exercise can help limber up your lumbar spine and keep your back safe as you follow through on every swing. ... Glute Bridges. ... Take Care of Your Spine.

How do I strengthen my golf core?

3 Core Golf ExercisesStanding Anti-Rotation. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart holding the handle of a resistance band in both hands. ... Side Planks. Lie on your right side propped up on your elbow with your left foot slightly in front of your right foot. ... Glute Bridges.

How to prevent back pain when playing golf?

1. Warm-up before playing golf to prevent low back pain. Going directly to the tee at 7 a.m., pulling out the driver, and then proceeding to try to hit the cover off the ball is probably the surest way to sprain one's back muscles and result in low back pain. Instead, a thorough warm-up before starting to golf—including stretching ...

Why do you need to bend over to pick up a golf bag?

4. Carrying the golf bag safely to prevent low back pain. Repeated bending over to pick up a golf bag can stress the low back and lead to a muscle strain. An integrated golf bag stand that opens when the bag is set on the ground can eliminate the need to bend over.

What is the objective of a golf swing?

The objective of a golf swing is to develop significant clubhead speed, and to do this a lot of torque (force) and torsion (twisting) is applied to the low back. Golfers should emphasize a smooth, rhythmic swing, as this produces less stress and less low back pain (such as minimizing muscular effort and disc and facet joint loading).

How to stretch hips and hamstrings?

The hips may be stretched by pulling the knee to the chest. The hamstrings maybe stretched by bending over and trying to touch the toes. Next, gently swinging a golf club helps warm up the necessary muscle groups and prepares them for the torque (force) and torsion (twisting) that a golf swing produces.

What are the four areas of prevention for the sport of golf?

Four key areas of prevention for the sport of golf include: warm-up, swing, bio-mechanics, and carrying the golf bag. 1.

What muscles do you need to get ready for golf?

First, start with stretching before beginning to play golf. Stretching should emphasize the shoulder, torso, and hip regions as well as the hamstring muscles .

Should the spine be straight?

The spine should be straight , and the golfer should bend forward from the hips. Weight should be distributed evenly on the balls of the feet. As most golfers will agree, while developing an easy, fluid swing may be desirable in terms of reducing stress to the low back and preventing low back pain, this is often easier said than done.

How to prevent back pain in golf?

As with any type of injury, making sure your body is trained to handle the golf movements is critical if you want to stay healthy and avoid long periods of forced healing. Preventing injury requires hard work, awareness and an opportunity to prevent the damage from happening again.

What to do if you have back pain?

If you’re already suffering from back pain or spinal injuries, there are a variety of treatment options available. Some involve the use of sports medicine, others involve spinal surgeons, and then there are options that cater to our body’s natural ability to heal itself.

How do abdominal muscles help prevent back injuries?

Abdominal muscles help prevent injuries to the back, keeping your spine healthy, reducing muscle strain and so much more.

What muscles help support the back?

The big glute muscles help support the back muscles and take pressure off of the smaller, more vulnerable back muscles. The muscles of our body work together to make things happen; if one muscle set is too weak or too stiff, it impacts the other muscles around them.

What is the role of the core in golf?

When the core is weak, it increases the strain on the joints within the lower back during the rotational movements of a golf swing. A weak core can also impact your posture during the golf swing. When you struggle to maintain a good posture, ...

What happens if you wind into your backswing?

So let's think twice and swing once. When you wind into your backswing, slow to a stop and unload into your downswing, there is a lot of pressure on the spine. If the muscles around your spine are not strong enough to handle that pressure, injuries can follow.

What happens if you struggle to maintain a good posture?

When you struggle to maintain a good posture, not only do you risk injuries, but your inconsistent contact during your golf swing will often result in poorly struck golf shots. Your game will suffer as well. 2. Limited Rotational Mobility.

What to do if your back hurts?

That way you can get answers as to what the problem is, some stretches or exercises that can make you stronger and remedy the situation, or provide some treatment to help the pressure off your back.

Is it normal to lose form on the first hole?

Fatigue happens in a lot of sports , after you’ve been going for awhile it’s normal to lose a bit of that good form you had on the first hole, but it’s important to keep reminding yourself to correct your form at the start of each swing.

Is rotation a problem?

Rotation on its own would not be particularly problematic, but the issue stems from it being combined with bending forwards. The degree of variation in the rotation comes from the different movements involved in more subtle movements like putting, to the more of a fast swing of a drive.

Is a swing better for your lower back?

Functionally, it’s a much better position for your lower back, and you’re going to get a nice, smooth swing. Structurally, this will protect your discs in the lower back and you’ll be only flexing from the hips rather than the lower back – this will mean the only stressor on your back becomes your rotation.

Can compression cause a disc to bulge?

Too much compression on your discs can result in eventually bulging or herniating a disc, which will cause much more constant pain and potentially affect your everyday life on a much bigger scale than the odd ache or pain here and there.

Can back pain be prevented by playing golf?

If you can make these amendments in your routine when playing golf, you should find that your back pain doesn’t ever get out of sorts, or too far along, that you can’t actually play.

Does bending forwards cause discs to be stressed?

Rotation in combination with the bending forwards can put even further stress on your discs. The variety in the movement can be a triggering factor on its own, since you might be putting extra force behind those two movements, it increases the compressive load as the muscles really tighten up to support the golf swing.

How to treat muscle strains during downswing?

Muscle strains caused by forceful swings of sudden shifts during a downswing can be treated by stretching or over-the-counter pain medicines.

What is the golf swing?

Your golf swing stresses an area called the L5-S1 disc space. The joints in this segment allow for considerably more rotation than the other joints in the lower back. A complex network of muscles and tendons connect the engaged portions of your body during a game of golf, and one partial strain or tear can cause a lot of pain.

Do younger golfers hit harder?

Younger golfers often hit harder, and for this reason, are more likely to injure themselves. If you’re new to the sport, start small and work your way up. If it’s been a while since you’ve gone golfing, this advice still stands.

Is it bad to stretch your back in golf?

A good stretch is never a bad idea , especially in a sport that requires a lot of rotational movement in the swing. Warming up your torso is the first step in preventing a lower back golf injury.

Is disc herniation painful?

Most frequently occurring in patients in their 20’s to 50’s, disc herniation is painful. The bones that form the spine—also known as vertebrae—are cushioned by discs that act as shock absorbents. You could feel a number of surprising sensations.

Warm up properly

Make sure you properly warm up before you tee-off. This means doing stretching exercises to get your back in tip-top shape for your round.

Stay active during the week

If the only exercise you get is your weekend round of golf, then there’s no wonder your back complains after you’ve finished!

Take golf lessons

If your body shape and/or stance is wrong then your golf swing will be putting increased pressure on your lower back and this will likely result in back pain.

Take it slowly

If you’re just taking up golf, or you’re returning to the sport from a prolonged absence, don’t rush right back into it.

See a specialist

If you do suffer from regular back pain from golf, it’s important that you see a back specialist.

Strengthen your back

If you look after your back and work on keeping it in good condition then you’re much less likely to suffer from back pain as a result of golf.

Summary

Don’t just quit golf if you’re suffering from a sore back. Try some of these tips on how to avoid back pain from golf and see if they help.

How to avoid back pain when playing golf?

Use good posture: When people slouch while playing golf, they are more likely to develop lower back pain. Ensuring that you keep good posture is therefore a simple strategy for avoiding back pain when golfing. Improve your trunk rotation flexibility: Over-rotating while swinging a golf club is associated with lower back pain.

How to prevent back pain from golf swing?

Based on the evidence that has now accumulated on lower back pain in golfers, here are some tips to avoid or reduce pain: Warm up: Golf swings usually stress the lumbar spine. Warming up and stretching before enduring this type of spinal stress can help to prevent injury.

Why is it important to have fewer strokes in golf?

The cumulative load is thought to be the major issue leading to lower back pain in golfers, so fewer strokes overall may be more important than the way in which the ball is hit. It’s also important to ensure that the muscles that are engaged during golf get proper rest, which requires that golfers put a limit to how much time they spend golfing so ...

Why do you lift the lead heel on your back?

Lifting the lead heel at the end of the backswing is recommended to ensure that more rotation occurs in your pelvis than in your spine.

Does golf cause lower back pain?

Many avid golfers, though, know too well the pain - particularly lower back pain - that can come with spending a lot of time on the golf course. Luckily, there is ample scientific research into the reasons why and the ways in which golf leads to lower back pain. Data from these studies can help golfers understand how best to mitigate their risk ...

Is golf considered an exercise?

Tweet. Golf is a popular sport, but because it’s often thought of as a leisure activity, its health benefits are often overlooked. Similarly, people tend not to recognize that golf can lead to painful physical injuries and so do not treat playing golf as athletic exercise. Many avid golfers, though, know too well the pain - particularly lower back ...

Can you carry golf clubs on one shoulder?

Don’t carry your clubs on one shoulder: Golfers who carry their own clubs are more likely to have lower back pain than those who use a different type of transport system. The problem with carrying clubs is likely the stress placed on one shoulder when clubs are carried with a single strap.

Exercises to prevent back injury: Banded hip extensions

One progression of the glute bridge are these kneeling hip extensions.

Exercises to prevent back injury: Single leg glute bridges

Single leg hip thrusts are another great exercise for golfers that struggle with lower back pain.

Exercises to prevent back injury: KB Leg Lowers

These KB arm bar leg lowers are a great anti-extension exercise. They are great for: 💪strengthening the anterior core 💪 shoulder stability 💪 hip mobility ⛳️ posture (setup & dynamic) ⛳️ backswing coil ⛳️ force transfer #kbarmbar #golfitness #anteriorcore #lowerbackpain #golfposture #dynamicgolf #youngprogolfer

Exercises to prevent back injury: Pallof Holds – Step Outs

Great to have @jhamilton1 back in the gym.