Low back pain is the most common complaint among both professional and amateur golfers. Whether it’s the swing or the constant bending, back pain in golf is a typical injury affecting golfers. Since Spring is here, it is certainly golf season and so to prepare, here is a bit of advice for injury prevention.
Warming up before golfing has shown to reduce the probability of getting a golf injury. Most golfers spend less than 10 minutes warming up before a round and those who did warm up had half the amount of injuries as those who didn’t. As an added incentive, lower handicap golfers were twice as likely to warm up for more than ten minutes compared to other golfers.
Also, making sure you have proper swing mechanics can go a long way to reducing injury and low back pain. Regular physical therapy is a great way to strengthen the muscles that prevent injury. Our physical therapists will work with you to increase your core strength, flexibility and to strengthen your major muscle groups helping to decrease your injury rate.
Now, since you know how to prevent a back injury this Spring golfing, if you are already experiencing pain, make sure to see a doctor before this pain gets any worse and you are out of play for longer than you actually need to be. Physical therapy is a great option to reduce back inflammation and pain.
At Cross Bay Physical Therapy, our trained therapists first provide an evaluation to design a specific individualized treatment plan for your needs.
Physical therapy many modalities including electrical stimulation that helps to decrease swelling, pain and increase flexibility. As the back pain subsides, we implement a series of therapeutic exercises that not only strengthens your back to prevent injury but increases balance, flexibility, and endurance.
An example of such an exercise would be to balance on exercise balls and balance machines to strengthen and stabilize the muscles surrounding the spine.
The physical therapists at Cross Bay Physical Therapy specialize in treating sports-related injuries and can help you to relieve back pain getting you back onto the golf course, tennis court, or basketball court. Have a happy Spring!
By Benjamin Bieber