Common Causes of Back Pain While Playing Golf

Back pains are common with golfers due to the nature of golf as a sport. This sport is increasingly becoming popular among Americans among baby boomers. However, playing golf can result in several injuries with several professional golfers reporting severe back issues. Although golf is considered a low-intensity sport, injuries can still happen in the game.

Back pain is one of the common injuries associated with golf that can hinder your ability to play golf. You can also experience strains, inflammation, and other muscle injuries when playing to throw you off your game. The recent golf instruction trends that encourage a restriction of hip turn in the backswing for more power also add to the risk of back pain.

Causes of back pain in golf

The episodes of low back pain in golf are mostly caused by damage to the soft tissue supporting the lower spine. Any damage caused to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments can cause back pain affecting your play. The lower spine is dependent on these tissues to hold the body upright and support the weight of the upper body. When you play gold, you put these soft tissues under too much stress, causing injuries and pain.

Muscle strains and sprains are common causes of back pain while playing golf. While a pulled back or strained muscle may look like a minor injury, it has the potential to cause severe pain. Mechanical lower pain is one of the golf-related injuries that often starts slowly but can be worsened by movement. However, the mechanical lower pain improves with sufficient rest and taking time off from playing golf.

Muscle strains are common soft tissue injuries in the low back when fibers in the muscle start to tear. The muscle strains will often occur in golf when you engage in rough golf swings. Since the muscles will be overused or overstretched, you can experience a pulled muscle.

There is also a lumbar sprain as common causes of back pain while playing golf that occurs when you overstretch or tear the ligaments. This can cause immense back pain. In most cases, the overstretching or tearing of soft tissues in the low back can cause the surrounding areas to become inflamed. The back muscle’s inflammation is a natural response to an injury where you will feel a cramp and cause intense pain.

Disc injuries can occur from swinging abnormalities. In most cases, the disc injury can occur when there is a pre-existing injury. When these muscles are injured, you will feel pain or tightness across the lower back and into the hips. Muscle and tendon attachment can occur when playing caused by accidents or swing abnormalities.

The rotational forces of the golf swing often create an inherent risk to the lower back. The intensity of the pain will be felt in the first few hours to several days before it fades away. You may experience the pain and tightness when walking or bending. In other instances, you will experience moderate pain and stiffness within the first week or two. The problem will gradually go away with rest and several aerobic exercises.

How to avoid back pain

You can prevent most back pain causes of pain by taking caution before, during, and after playing. The golf swing is one-sided with high-velocity movement through the lower back repeated over and over. This repetition subjects the lower back tissues to high loads that can tear them, injuring the muscles.

Mobility is one of the remedies to back pain problems for golfers. When you increase mobility in certain areas of your body, it takes the pressure off other areas. For example, increasing mobility in the upper back can release pain within the lower back, thus reducing injury risk. You also need to build strength and endurance in critical areas to protect against injuries.

Staying fit and active between golf outings is a proactive way of avoiding back pain in golf. A healthy and fit person will have strong muscles that will support the spine without tearing, thus reducing the injury when swinging and bending.

At the same time, warming up before you go for a gold event is an important proactive step to avoiding back pain causes. Most golfers tend to get right into the game without stretching, which is often a big mistake. Ensure you stretch your muscles before the game to avoid injuries.

Moderation is vital in golf to avoid common back pain injuries. Since golf is a repetitive sport, consider engaging in other activities such as aerobic workouts to avoid repetitive action. Doctors recommend stretching between golf sessions or performing any low-impact aerobic exercises to help with the back pain. Another remedy to avoiding back pain is by altering your swing mechanics or changing equipment to suit your game.

How to treat golf-related back pain

You can treat back pain by resting for a few days while applying the necessary medication such as heat and ice. Compared to other back pains, a pulled injury is easy to diagnose and can be easily treated. Most of the problems that cause lower back pain for golfers respond well to strengthening exercises and mobility. However, a complete muscle tear can take months to heal and may require extra medication. Only a few cases could demand surgery, with a majority treated with medication.

You can use medication or physical therapy to treat golf-related back pain. In case there are severe injuries, the physical therapist can recommend surgery as a preventive approach to help you avoid future back pain issues. Medications such as ibuprofen or naproxen can be used to reduce inflammation on the back and reduce back pain.

You should not stress any inflamed muscle by continuing to play golf after a back pain injury. Doctors always advise taking a rest from playing golf for the muscles to heal. When you continue to play the muscle by playing through an episode of back pain, you may aggravate the injury.

If the problem persists and seems like a recurring problem, don’t hesitate to see your physiotherapists in Singapore. Back pain should not continue for more than two weeks continuously as this could mean there is a definable problem causing the pain. If this happens, you need to consult a medical professional. Physiotherapists in Singapore can look into your problems and help you return to playing quicker while reducing the severity of the injury.

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