Golfer’s Lower Back Pain – Titleist Performance institute

We're on the 7th hole looking down at a 130 yard tee to green shot with the pin tucked in the middle left. We’ve made it six holes, coming off a birdie on the 207 #6 with 3 holes to go. Then suddenly the back tightens, tempo gets quick, turn gets short, shoulders overcompensate, and we get the pull, straight left into the river spill. We hit bogey but it should have been another par.

Sometimes the mind is able, but the back is unable. Back pain of some sort is a very common ailment. There are many reasons for this including, weak back muscles, weak abdominals, tight hamstrings and the list goes on. In this article I am going to address tight hip flexors. Tight hip flexors are a major contributor to low back pain in many people. One of the biggest reasons for this is that a lot of people spend their days sitting on their butts. Whether it is on an airplane, in a car, at a computer, or in the lazy-boy, people like to sit around. As a society we are very lazy.

Unfortunately when in the seated position, the hip flexor muscles (in particular the Psoas) are contracted or shortened. When in this position for a long period of time the hip flexors want to stay this length, making it harder for them to return to their correct length.

Why does this impact the lower back? Simple. Even though the hip flexors attach to the front of the upper thigh bone, they run through the hip joint and attach to the lumbar vertebrae.

When the hip flexors get tight, they pull on the lower back. Many times this can be misdiagnosed and the patient is told to stretch the low back and strengthen the abs, but the problem persists.

Reversing Lower Back Pain with Exercise - Titleist Performance institute

What’s the most common injury among amateur golfers? No contest. It is lower back pain. Evan at the professional level it is a close second to left wrist injuries. You may be asking yourself, why don’t professional golfers suffer as much from lower back pain? The answer is that professional practice much more which makes them susceptible to over use injuries such as tendonitis of the wrist. Professionals also have better biomechanics which decrease the amount of stress placed on the spine. The amateur population suffers greatly from a lack of flexibility and stability in the body. This lack of flexibility and stability increases the chances of developing lower back pain.

Lower back pain is a multi-faceted problem with many treatment options available. In my opinion the best way to treat lower back pain is to prevent it from happening in the first place! In this article we will discuss the most common swing fault that contributes to lower back pain and how to use exercise to reduce this fault. As stated above there are many causes of lower back pain and you should consult a physician if you are currently experiencing any significant pain.

The term reverse spine angle refers to a listing of the spine to the left (for a right handed golfer) at the top of the back swing. The spine will also go into extension or you will see the golfers head lift up as he goes into his backswing. This position at the top of the backswing will create a biomechanical problem for the body. In this position it is hard for the abdominals to fire effectively to stabilize the torso and lower back. In order to get back to the ball most amateurs will compensate by excessively bending to the right which, not only prevents a proper weight shift but also causes compression of the joints in the back. When the golfer forcefully rotates their upper body we create a recipe for a bad back. The combined forces of rotation, flexion, and lateral flexion have been demonstrated to place the greatest amount of compression and shear forces through the discs of the lower back. A biomechanically sound golf swing will generate a compressive load of 6-8 times body weight. Imagine the forces produced when poor mechanics are used!

In my opinion the most common physical causes of this swing fault are lack of internal rotation of the right hip, limited ability to rotate in the torso, and weak core musculature.

Contact your local Golf Professional & TPI Certified Fitness Instructor to help your back pain and improve your golf.