Golfers: Is Your Lower Back Doing Your Butt’s Job?
If your lower back is stiff, aching, or throbbing after 18 holes, you are not just getting older. Lower back pain is one of the most common injuries among golfers. To fix it for good, you have to look at how your entire body moves throughout your swing.
Source vs Cause
The lower back is rarely the actual “cause” of the problem. More often it is simply “overworked.” Your lower spine is built to bend forward and backward, not to twist repetitively. When other parts of your body are not performing their job of twisting or rotating, your lower back is forced to do it instead. Your lower back may be the “source” of your pain, but rarely is the “cause.”
When forced to twist under the pressure of a golf swing, the lower back will see issues such as muscle strains, disc injuries, poor muscle coordination, arthritis and stress fractures.
Why Your Glutes Are King
The glutes are an absolute powerhouse in the golf swing. They are responsible for thrusting your hips through impact, transferring power from the ground up and stabilizing your pelvis.
When you spend your workweek sitting at a desk, your brain essentially “turns down the volume” on your glute muscles. We call this “Glute Amnesia.” It is a recipe for back pain and weak drives. When you hit the first tee, those muscles stay asleep. Without the glutes to stabilize your pelvis, the massive rotational forces of your swing get transferred directly into your lower back.
So What Do We Do?
To treat and prevent lower back pain, you have to look at the joints above and below the spine. The main goal is to restore proper movement to your hips and upper back so they can handle the rotation of your golf swing. Once your joints are moving properly, you can build up your strength and practice a safer swing to keep your back healthy for a lifetime of golf.
Wake Up Your Power
If you want to protect your spine and add effortless distance to your driver, you have to wake up your glutes before you play. Spending just 3 to 5 minutes doing targeted glute bridges, or lateral band walks before your range warmup, will turn the power back on.
Check out this blog post for the 5 physical skills a pain free golf swing relies on: https://highpointetherapy.com/blog/golfers-your-driver-got-an-upgrade-did-your-body/
Book a Golf Performance Assessment
A full physical assessment and a Titelist Performance Institute screening can help determine the physical limitations in your golf swing which may be contributing to lower back pain.
You can use your insurance or pay cash to book a PT assessment with Kaitlyn. In Tennessee, you may not need a doctor’s referral to see a PT so call or text (931) 920-4333, or email office@highpointetherapy.com and someone will let you know if you need a referral from a doctor and get you scheduled.
Written by Kaitlyn, PT, DPT, High Pointe’s TPI certified physical therapist.
Photo courtesy of Titleist Performance Institute.