If you’ve ever experienced the discomfort of back pain during or after a round of golf, you know how frustrating it can be. You may find that it only starts after a certain number of holes or after using a certain club. If it is really bad, you may be in pain for days after you play.
At Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine, we often see people who have these same complaints. Fortunately there are several options we have to get you playing golf without back pain and play well again. Here are 3 movements you can improve to get yourself playing golf without back pain
Hip Internal Rotation
When you go into your back swing, you need to be able to rotate at your hips. On your back leg, your hip will internally rotate. If you can’t internally rotate on this hip enough, you will make up the difference in your back, causing back pain.
One of the causes of limited hip internal rotation is actually tight hip flexors. Tight hip flexors create compression in the hip joint, causing pinching and limited motion.
The exercise below is a great way to work on stretching your hip flexors.
Stretching the hip flexors allows your hips to move normally again. Hold this stretch for 30 seconds and do it 3 times on each side. Do this twice a day for maximal benefit.
Thoracic Spine Rotation
Thoracic spine rotation is another key mobility requirement for your golf swing. As you go into your back swing you need to rotate through your spine as well as your hip.
The thoracic spine is the are of your back that is most designed to rotate. If this area is stiff, you will end up rotating more through your low back. Your low back structured to mainly allow forward and backward bending as well as bending to the side. There is not a lot of rotation ability in the low back.
If you thoracic spine is stiff, you’ll end up making up the difference at the low back. This put’s a lot of extra stress on it and can be a cause of your low back pain.
The exercise below is a great way to work on improving your thoracic spine rotation.
It’s important to keep your top hip flexed so that your knee is slightly higher than your hip. This helps to make sure you’re rotating mostly through your thoracic spine and not your low back.
Try to get your shoulder blade as close to the floor as you can when you rotate. Breath in and out slowly 2 times. Then go back to the start position.
Do this 2 times a day for the best results if you’re really tight in this area.
Low Back And Glute Strength
Strong glutes and lower back muscles are also important to prevent back pain when golfing. They’ll also help you when lifting and working around your house too!
The deadlift is a great way to build strength in your glutes and low back.
In the video above, you can see that there is no flexing of the spine when lifting. All the bending comes at the knees and hips. This protects your low back when lifting.
A couple key points to remember with this exercise:
- It is really important to keep a slight arch in your low back throughout the movement. You should not bend forward at your back at all.
- Start with the weight on a chair or gym bench instead of the floor. You may even want to start with no weight until you learn the movement better.
- Don’t worry about lowering the weight all the way to the floor. Start just trying to get your hands to knee level.
Start with 2 sets of 10 every other day. As it gets easier, increase to 2 sets of 15. Then go to 3 sets of 10. Then 3 sets of 15. At that point, you’re ready to add more weight.
If you’ve tried these and you’re still hurting, we can help you!
At Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine in Alexandria and Springfield, VA, our physical therapists are experts at treating back pain and will develop a plan to help you stop it.
Call us at 703-299-3111, or click here to request an appointment.
A member of our team will schedule you an appointment with one of our expert physical therapists.
What happens if you don’t have a plan to golf without back pain?
- Your shots don’t go as far because you it hurts to swing.
- You need help getting groceries or cleaning your home because your back hurts for days after you play.
- You stop playing golf completely because it just isn’t worth the back pain
But WITH a plan to golf without back pain you can live the life you want again.
The exercises above are a great way to get started. They don’t require a ton of time and are pretty easy to do correctly. They can help you get moving and living an active life again.
But if you want an expert to listen to your unique problems and guide you to success, a Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine physical therapist in Alexandria or Springfield, VA will create a plan specifically for you.
You’ll feel confident that you have the knowledge and ability to golf without back pain and do all the things you want.
Call us at 703-299-3111, or click here to schedule your appointment and start your path to healing.
Working to keep you living your best life,
The Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Team
