How To Enjoy Golf Without Hurting Your Lower Back

Summary: The golf swing, lower back, and injury are common phrases in the world golf. It is understood the golf swing places large amounts of stress on the lower back. This is simply a result of the mechanics of the golf swing itself. The execution of the golf swing places the lower back under immense shear forces each and every golf swing, and the muscles of the lower back must withstand these shear forces. Muscles of the body when under stress from physical activity eventually becom...

The golf swing, lower back, and injury are common phrases in the world golf. It is understood the golf swing places large amounts of stress on the lower back. This is simply a result of the mechanics of the golf swing itself. The execution of the golf swing places the lower back under immense shear forces each and every golf swing, and the muscles of the lower back must withstand these shear forces. Muscles of the body when under stress from physical activity eventually become fatigued. Once the lower back muscles are fatigued, supporting the stressors of the golf swing and executing the mechanics of the golf swing are compromised. Resulting in some very common situations for the golfer. Again, we are all aware the lower back is one of the most oft injured areas of the body in the game of golf. Statistics indicate approximately 50% of all golfers will incur a lower back injury during their playing careers. This statistic tell us a great deal about the importance of keeping the lower back healthy in the game of golf. Outside of the lower back becoming injured from the golf swing. The situation of performance on the golf course comes into play. Often times prior to injury occurring, a drop in performance will occur. This is a result of the fatigue within the lower back not allowing the mechanics of the golf swing to be executed correctly. On the PGA Tour keeping the lower back strong and injury free is a daily task. It is understandable how much time is spent on lower back injury prevention when the biomechanics of the golf swing are understood. The biomechanics of the golf swing place the lower back under large amounts of shear force/stress every time you swing a golf club. Over time, this can easily cause injury if you do not take the correct steps. This leads me to e-mail I received a little while back from BioForce subscriber Bryan He wrote in with a question about his lower back and here is what he had to say; "Sean, I am 54 years of age and a very keen golfer. Lately I have been experiencing back pain, maybe because of to much golfing? I need your kind experience to advise me on this subject so that I can enjoy golf without any harm to my back." Thank You, Bryan First and foremost the reasons for lower back pain is numerous and is best identified by a qualified physician. My first suggestion is to get the lower back checked out by a back specialists. This will determine what exactly is going on with the lower back and what is the best treatment. Now Bryan brings up a very good point in his e-mail. He discusses the possibility that his lower back discomfort is caused by playing too much golf. (you can never play enough golf!, well