Jackson Reid
Golf is a game that can be hard on the back. Back pain is the most common golfing injury, with a 2014 study in the Asian Journal of Sports Medicine reporting that lower back pain from golf accounts for between 18% and 54% of all documented ailments. The golf swing is an unnatural activity that places significant force and stress on the spine, disks, ligaments, muscles, and joints. This can lead to inflammation, strains, disc herniations, and other injuries. Golfers with back problems can modify their swings and grip to reduce back strain, and perform exercises to strengthen their core and improve balance.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Is golf hard on the back? | Yes |
| Most common golfing injury | Back pain |
| Golf-related back injuries | Lumbar strains, disc herniations, exacerbated facet arthritis, accidents |
| Golf swing impact on the spine | Significant forces experienced by the disks, ligaments, muscles, and joints |
| Ways to avoid back pain | Warm up, prepare, maintain good form, listen to your body, strengthen core muscles, stretch, exercise, yoga, pilates, tai chi, light weight lifting |
| Golfers with back problems | Should opt for a weaker grip, use hands and arms more, bend knees coming down and through impact |
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What You'll Learn
The unnatural golf swing
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. The golf swing is an unnatural activity that places significant forces on the spine, including twisting, compression of the disc, and side bending. These forces can lead to excess stress on the facet joints, resulting in localized back pain.
To reduce the risk of back pain and injury, golfers should focus on maintaining a good posture and minimizing strain on the back. This includes standing taller and turning on a flatter plane, rather than tilting the hips and spine excessively. Additionally, golfers should consider using a weaker grip, allowing the hands and arms to swing more freely, and keeping the knees bent during the downswing to reduce stress on the lower back.
For golfers with existing back problems, it is important to modify the swing to reduce stress on the spine. This includes reducing the power on tee-offs, taking lessons, and considering the frequency of play. Golfers should also focus on strengthening the core muscles and maintaining a balanced stance to stabilize the spine during the swing.
While golf can be hard on the back, with proper modifications and preparation, golfers can continue to enjoy the game while minimizing the risk of back injuries. This includes warming up before playing, maintaining good form, and listening to their bodies to avoid overexertion. By following these tips, golfers can protect their backs and improve their overall performance on the course.
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Golfers with back problems can still play
Modify your swing
Golfers with back problems should focus on using their hands and arms more during the swing, rather than aggressively using their legs, which can create tilt and put stress on the lower back. Try to keep your upper body doing most of the work on the downswing, with bent knees coming down and through impact. Stand taller and turn on a flatter plane, like a baseball player, to reduce excessive tilting of the hips and spine. Opt for a weaker grip, which will allow your hands and arms to swing more freely, reducing the work for your body.
Warm-up and stretch
Before playing, it's important to warm up your muscles and stretch to maintain a good range of motion in your spine, hips, and shoulders. Try an active warm-up with quick exercises like a brisk walk, planks, or mountain climbers.
Core exercises and balance training
Perform core exercises like crunches, planks, and leg lifts to stabilize your spine and take stress off it during the swing. Balance training can also help ensure your spine is not pulled or compressed in one direction, keeping it strong and stable over your legs.
Take lessons and swing less powerfully
Consider taking lessons to improve your swing technique and reduce stress on your spine. Dr. Sekhon recommends turning down the power on tee-offs, as they are the most violent movement. Instead, use 70% power to reduce the strain on your back.
Play fewer holes and avoid the driver
Playing 9 holes instead of 18 and reducing the number of swings can help reduce stress on your back. Avoid using the driver, as it is a longer club that can lead to more rotation and side bending of the spine.
By following these tips and listening to their bodies, golfers with back problems can continue to enjoy the game while minimizing further injury.
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Excessive hip and spine tilting
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. One of the most common issues among golfers is low back pain, affecting between 18% and 54% of players at various skill levels. This pain is frequently linked to swing faults that place excessive strain on the body's anatomical structures, such as reverse spine angle.
Excessive tilting of the hips and spine throughout the swing is one of the biggest contributing factors to back pain in golfers, according to Dr. Jim Suttie, a top golf coach with a doctorate in biomechanics. When a golfer is bent forward, one hip is higher than the other on the backswing, and the same occurs on the forward swing. This tilting of the hips and spine in a bent-over posture puts a lot of stress on the back.
To address this issue, Suttie recommends golfers with back problems adopt a more upper-body swing. This involves the upper body doing most of the work on the way down, rather than aggressively using the legs, which can create tilt and put stress on the lower back. Golfers should also focus on maintaining a stable lower body and encouraging the rotation of the upper body around the spine, instead of tilting towards the target.
Additionally, improving hip mobility and strengthening the core are essential to preventing excessive side bending and compensatory motions that can lead to injury. Golfers can also benefit from a weaker grip, which encourages freer movement of the hands and arms, reducing the workload on the back.
To summarise, excessive hip and spine tilting during the golf swing can lead to back pain and injuries. Golfers can mitigate these issues by adopting an upper-body swing, improving hip and spine mobility, strengthening the core, and utilising a weaker grip.
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Golfers should strengthen core muscles
Golf is a game that depends on the rotation of the body to deliver power from the ground through the core to the club and finally to the ball. The core muscles include all the muscles in the front and back of the body from the waist up to the chest and shoulder blades. These muscles hold up the trunk of the body and help to keep it stable, strong, and balanced.
Golfers should strengthen their core muscles to improve their performance and reduce the risk of injury. The core muscles provide stabilization to the spine and pelvis and keep the body upright. Strengthening these muscles improves overall physical health and helps provide more power to the golf swing. A strong core can also reduce the likelihood of injury by providing stability to the lower back, which is often the site of acute and chronic pain for golfers.
Core exercises for golfers include strengthening, balance, and muscular endurance exercises. These exercises target all the core muscles to build balanced strength, improve the power and accuracy of the swing, and prevent injuries. Golfers can perform exercises such as the Bird Dog, TRX Plank, and TRX Golf Rotation to strengthen their core muscles.
It is important to note that golfers with back problems should adjust their swings to reduce stress on the lower back. This can include using a weaker grip, allowing the hands and arms to swing more freely, and keeping the knees bent during the downswing to reduce tilt. Additionally, golfers should prioritize early intervention for back pain to manage it effectively and reduce the risk of serious injury.
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Golfers should stretch and warm up
Golfers need high flexibility to swing correctly. Stretching regularly helps increase flexibility, allowing golfers to rotate more and generate more speed and power in their swings. A proper warm-up will prepare the muscles and joints for the intensity of a golf swing throughout the round.
Golfers can perform dynamic stretches, which involve stretching through movement, to warm up before playing. This helps to keep the body moving and the blood flowing, increasing blood flow and taking joints through their full range of motion. Dynamic stretches include lunges, torso rotations, and squats.
In addition to stretching and warming up, golfers can also focus on strengthening their core muscles to support their lower back and adjusting their swing to reduce strain on the lower back.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, golf can be bad for your back. Back pain is the most common golfing injury. The golf swing is an unnatural activity that can put a lot of stress on the lower back, and the repetitive motions can lead to inflammation, strains, and other injuries of the muscles and discs of the spine.
Back pain in golfers is typically caused by twisting forces in the golf swing. The rotation and twist can cause excess stress on the facet joints, which can lead to localized back pain. Other causes include excessive tilting of the hips and spine throughout the swing, weak core muscles, and imbalances in the glutes and hip flexors.
Golfers can prevent back pain by warming up, stretching, maintaining good form, listening to their bodies, and making modifications to their swing. Golfers with back problems should also opt for a weaker grip and avoid using the driver, as it can lead to more rotation and side bending of the spine.
