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I've got some bad news, golfers. It turns out that playing golf is bad for your back. Around half of all golfers will have some type of lower back injury during sometime in their lives, due to golfing. It appears that the golf swing itself is to blame. You run the risk just by swinging the club.

Now the good news: There are some things you can do to reduce stress on your lower back in the golf swing.

When you swing your golf club, you repeat the exact same action over and over again. This naturally puts a strain on the same muscles each time. Every time you swing, these certain muscles have to tense and release, and they get tired. When these muscles are tired, you are much more likely to suffer a lower back injury.

The Solution

Work On Your Swing

I know you're probably the greatest golfer ever known to man and you're ready to do battle with Tiger Woods, so you can probably skip this part. If, however, you are an amateur golfer and not a pro, you are at more risk of injuring your lower back because of your swing.

Pros use their muscles more efficiently because they are used to swinging over and over again in the same way. You and me, on the other hand, make up for our lack of skill with extra force. What you are probably doing is twisting your lower back a bit more than is necessary and putting too much "heart" into it, so running the risk of training your back. An excess of rotational stress and over-bending is what causes trouble for your lower back. And, if it makes you feel any better, pros sometimes have back injuries as well!

If you work on your swing, your lower back will thank you for it.

Warm Up

Doing some stretches before you start golfing may go a long way. You especially want to do some light stretches that you can feel pulling those lower back muscles around the spine. Doing some slow swings as part of your warm up routine also helps reduce the risk of a stress-related lower back injury.

Work Out

One way to dramatically reduce stress on your lower back with your golf swing is to stick to a workout program that works those lower back muscles.

If you develop a golf-specific fitness program, you will not only keep from getting injured, you'll play a better game.

What you want to do is to stretch and strengthen those muscles in the lower back around the spine. And, I hate to bring this up, but taking off some pounds right around the middle of your torso will also help keep your lower back in better shape and reduce stress.

Get Better

Finally, if you have a lower back injury, give it enough time before you hit the green again. Lots and lots of lower back re-injuries could have been easily preverted if eager golfers had taken a few more weeks off. Stick to your re-habilitation plan, and ask your chiropractor or trainer if you are not sure.

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Source by Rich Fuller

Filed under: Post