Golfer’s Back symptoms, causes and treatment

At the Back Pain Centre Sunderland we understand that the aim of most golfers is to consistently improve their golf game. To do this, golfers will spend countless hours at the driving range, only to be frustrated by a round filled with Poor Hits, Fatigue and Pain.

Why? Because the most important training aid has often been ignored; A Healthy, Physically Fit Body! Your body functions best when its spine is properly aligned with normal muscle tension and free of injury.

Golf and Back Pain
Playing golf is a challenge in itself, let alone with a bad back! Many golfers are injuring themselves unnecessarily on the course. The main causes of golf related back pain are:

1. Poor technique involving too much twisting in the spine.
2. Inadequate stretching leading to a lack of flexibility.

These problems are easily remedied with improvements in the swing, specific treatment and gentle exercises. It is important to note that an injury may occur that does not result in immediate pain, but causes compensation elsewhere in the body, significantly affecting your golf game!

How often can I play golf if I do suffer from a bad back?
You can play golf daily if you thoroughly warm up before each game, stretch before, during and after, and follow the treatment schedule from your practitioner to ensure your spine stays healthy.

Golf Conditioning
Golf is about core strength, movement from the centre of the body and flexibility. A small improvement in a golfer’s spinal flexibility, for example, can significantly increase ‘club head speed’ (see table below) and be the difference between a drive from the tee landing in the rough or onto the green.

Golf is a whole-body sport in for which a balanced spine and pelvis are essential.
Our practitioners work with golfers to improve spinal flexibility and core abdominal strength. The shoulders and arms need to be stable to control shots, yet strong and elastic to deliver power.

Top golfers nowadays work on their Spinal flexibility and Fitness as much as their putting.
If you would like to elevate your playing ability to higher performance levels and improve your handicap, please call us or ask your practitioner for further details on our Golf Conditioning program.

Our unique 5 Step Golf Conditioning program will assess and address you in the following areas:

1. You will be given a complete Neuromusculoskeletal Examination.
2. You will be checked for areas of increased or decreased Spinal mobility.
3. We check for evidence of prior injuries and degenerative changes.
4. Your golf swing will be evaluated from a biomechanical viewpoint.
5. Finally, we will determine your goals and design a comprehensive program to achieve them, incorporating Osteopathy / Chiropractic, Massage therapy, strategic stretches and exercises, to help you maximise your golfing potential.

‘Back safe’ Golf Tips

Prevention is better than cure. Have regular ‘Spinal MOT’s’ to ensure back pain doesn’t affect your golf game. And if you want that competitive advantage why not take our golf conditioning program designed specifically to address any weaknesses in your spinal flexibility and strength.

The information provided is for general guidance only and must not be used for diagnosis or treatment of a health problem. This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice.