Golf and Low Back Pain
Golf has become one of the nation’s most popular sports with a participation rate of 19.5%.
On the surface, the physical demands of golf appear minimal; however, probing deeper reveals that the golf swing actually produces forces of up to 8 times an individual’s body weight. Combining these forces with the repetitive nature of the sport, it is not surprising that low back pain constitutes 26-52% of all golf-related injuries. In addition, trunk muscle imbalances, poor biomechanics, and a lack of flexibility specifically in the leading hip have been cited as possible causes for golf-related low back pain. (Gluck, 2008)
With such a high incidence of low back pain, prevention becomes quite important. The prevention of low back pain in golfers is multi-faceted and involves altering swing biomechanics, strengthening the spinal stabilizers, improving hip and rotational flexibility as well as a good warm-up prior to playing (Gluck, 2008). Moran et al. (2009) recommends incorporating dynamic stretching as opposed to static stretching into the warm-up as this was found to improve both the distance and accuracy of shots using a 5-iron.
Having the muscles and joints of the body assessed for flexibility and stability issues may be a great first step in improving your golf game.
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