Low back pain is the second most common reason for the average American to visit their doctor, second only to the common cold. It effects everyone from teenagers to seniors. While sometimes back pain will have minor effects over a short time period, there are millions of Americans who need to make drastic changes to their lives because of back pain.
Health Benefits Of Golf
Time outside and time with friends have been shown to have some of the greatest impacts on mental health, particularly as we age. The game of golf is a great way to regularly get these two crucial parts of a well-balanced life. Spending time outdoors with your friends is great. Add in the mental challenge of competing against yourself and others and it’s not hard to see why golf is enjoyed by 41 million people in the US in 2022.
Pain Can Derail Your Game
It’s easy to see why, when back pain starts in a golfer, it’s not just a small hobby that gets effected. Not getting outside, playing a sport you love, and interacting with people you love can be soul crushing. It’s no small wonder then why so many golfers are trying to find any way they can to get rid of back pain and get back out on the course. Golf bags stuffed with creams, pills, and braces just to get a few more holes in before succumbing to the pain.
What if there was a way to stop the pills, creams, and cancelled tee times? What if it’s something you could incorporate into another task that shows great mental health benefits? The answer is adding the right kind of strength training to your fitness routine.
What Causes Low Back Pain In The Golf Swing?
Back pain in the golf swing typically comes down to two key factors. The golfers ability to control the hips and trunk separately, and the strength of the muscles in the hips and trunk. Other sources can certainly contribute, but these are the most common issues seen in low back pain patients who play golf.
Prevention is key with low back pain. You can’t wait until you can barely move to start stretching. Putting some key motions and drills into your program when you are relatively pain free will allow your body to learn and train the new movement pattern. This will avoid low back pain in the first place.
Hips and Trunk
For hip and trunk control, it is good to work on drills that keep your trunk stable while moving your hip joint. Use a mirror so you can watch for movement in the trunk. Things like “can you twist your hips without moving your shoulders” or “can you open your hip while keeping your trunk from moving” are good litmus tests for this skill. If you can’t do it now, then work on it before every fitness session you do in a week. Try it before you go for a walk, or before your yoga class.
Strengthening Tips
For strength training the plan is more straight forward. Don’t skip leg day. Resistance training for the legs is a vital part of a well rounded fitness plan. It’s also one of the most skipped days in the gym week. We sit all day, and it’s well known that glute activation is reduced in low back pain sufferers. Getting back to simple compound exercises like squats, lunges and deadlifts will be the first step. If that’s not possible yet, a simple bridge or clamshell exercise can start the glute activation journey during a low back pain episode. Gradually increasing to pain-free and single-leg strengthening will generate the best results.
Conclusion
As always, the best results take time and dedication. Putting forth the effort to build strength and control will pay off in rounds played. You will improve your mental health, save money on pills and creams, and enjoy the game we all love. Visit our Golf Performance page to learn how we can help you!
Owen Campbell, PT, DPT, OCS
