Golf And Back Pain

Many golfers strain their backs. There are several reasons, including cold muscles (no warm ups), weak core muscles, poor posture and sitting in the golf cart too much. Here are some things you can do to keep swinging your clubs without hurting your back.

Stretch and Warm up When your swing your club and hit a golf ball with a lot of force, you are performing an explosive move. Explosive moves will often strain your muscles, including the lower back muscles if you havent warmed up. Why should playing golf be so different to other exercise? You would never sprint down the road at full speed without at least some kind of warm up, like running on the spot. If you get up in the morning and tee off, hitting the ball as hard as you can, without any stretches or warm ups beforehand, you could easily sprain your back muscles. Do these 2 stretches-your hamstrings and shoulders. After doing these two stretches (see below), twist lightly side to side. Now do some practice swings, slow and easy, with your golf club. You should now be warmed up sufficiently.

Hamstring stretch The muscles running down the back of your legs-the hamstrings, are important to stretch. This is because the hamstrings are attached to the pelvis and they pull on the pelvis if they are tight. If you loosen your hamstring muscles by stretching them, this will prevent them pulling on your pelvis and thus prevent lower back strain. Here is a simple standing hamstring stretch: Step forward with your right foot. Straighten the right leg t. You can bend the back leg (left leg) slightly. Bend forward from the hips, then grab your right ankle or right shin. You will feel a stretch down the right leg. Hold this stretch for about 15 seconds. Now stretch the left side

Shoulder stretch. You obviously are using your shoulders in swinging at a golf ball. Once again, tight and cold muscles dont respond well to sudden twisting. Place your right hand behind your neck, between the shoulder blades, elbow pointing upwards. Grab the right elbow with your left hand and pull, stretching the right shoulder. Hold this for 15 seconds then repeat on the other side.

Good Posture If you bend your back when you pick up the ball or your golf bag, the repeated action over a few hours can strain your back muscles. Dont bend your back. Bend your knees. Let your leg muscles take the weight of the bag and not your back.

Strengthen your abdominal muscles The abdominal muscles are important to strengthen as they support your torso. Weak abs often lead to lower back pain. Do 5-10 minutes a day of exercises like crunches. Crunches are better than sit-ups because sit-ups put a lot of strain on the lower back. Do 10 crunches a day in the beginning and increase this each week. Also do a stability exercise, such as the plank. Time yourself and increase the time you spend in the position each week.

Dont sit in the cart all day Golfers need to get out of the cart and walk some of the time-you have less chance of back strain. Walking exercises muscles that otherwise remain stiff if youre sitting. For example, walking exercises your hamstrings, which, as we said, can affect your back if theyre stiff. Walk half the course. Enjoy your golf!

Build your Back, Beat the Pain is a step-by-step plan that anyone can follow to stretch and strengthen key muscles to prevent back pain.