Thread: Lower back pain

Hi,

Here's a source of exercises and stretches. I noticed when watching Katherine Robert's regular episodes, she really focusses on warmups, stretching and exercises for strengthening particular parts of the body used in the swing to prevent injuries.

http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.a...2=2&select3=34

There's one there for lower back.

I think you just tweaked a muscle or nerve.

Good Luck,

Ted

I am married to a doctor. My advice is to go see a doctor. Do this before you start any exercises. This is especially true since it seems to be a reocurring pain. It may be nothing serious, or it could be something that could be made more serious with improper exercise. A back pain is nothing to mess around with. You just don't know.

I was rear ended while sitting in a golf cart, by another another person driving a golf cart. For me, all the damage was in the muscles, where they attach to the back bone. I was told by the doctor that if I had continued to keep on playing that day, I could of wound up in a wheel chair later on in life. As it turned out, with proper rest, and rehab I am good to go. The kicker was (right after the accident) that even though I could swing a golf club with out pain, I couldn't make any quick moves, or sit down, and then get up and not have pain in the area effected.

Get well soon. GJS

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Thanks for the posts. Well I am 15 years old and like I said, I don't know how I ended up with this back pain. I think it is a nerve or muscle that is the cause of my pain. In Janurary, I would have completed 3 years of golf. But for the last 2 years, I would usually not stretch before I play. I think that is the reason why I am in pain. Now to the topic of the doctor visit. For starters, I am scared to go into a doctor's office because the might something horribly wrong with me and I will never be the same. Even for the yearly physicals for the school, I loahe going to the doctor. Even for golf I hate it. But I think with rest and some time off, I will be able to recuperate. Only problem is, I have a busy schedule. Right when my golf tournaments ended, my first U.I.L. Math tournament began and will keep going every Saturday until about the second week of December. On Sunday, I either have driving time with the driving instructor or meeting at a nearby university. So I will try to sleep earlier. Now on the topic ofthe swing change. I can pound 325 on a good day and about 260-275 in an okay day and 250 on a bad day. Yesterday, since I didn't want to worsen my injury, began to swing slower than usual. I got a better overall score than when my back was uninjured. Today I bombed one 300 because I made contact with the center of the clubface. I have been playing bogey golf like always except I am making more pars. So I guess this is a blessng in disguise.

But for the last 2 years, I would usually not stretch before I play. I think that is the reason why I am in pain. Now to the topic of the doctor visit. For starters, I am scared to go into a doctor's office because the might something horribly wrong with me and I will never be the same.


Gohan,

As you know, there are many pros, who have had their careers cut short by injuries. There were some, who tweaked their backs while lifting stuff out of the trunk, and such. Many have not been able to reach the levels they could have, or stayed there, because they did not look after themselves.

Many pros start to stretch at home and in the locker room for a few minutes, even before they get to the course. They can use the floor or the benches, rather than rolling in the wet grass.

Regarding doctors' physicals, it's better to find out something early, when they can do something about it, than to wait until it develops beyond help. Most of the time, all that is going to come out of it, is a clean bill of health, which is a great feeling. For various reasons, I see my doc once a month.

You have a long life of golf ahead of you, I believe a good one. Good luck,

Ted

I'm much older than you, make that much, much, older so flexibility may be an issue here, but I had the exact same problem for two years.

I have always been very athletic and amazed my friends when I took the sport up 6 years ago and within a year was carrying drives 250yds. I am also obsessive/compulsive when I start a new hobby and hit upwards of 1,000 balls a week at the range. Mostly driver. Uh huh.

After a year of tying to crush the ball farther and farther, I developed a severe pain in the lower left back. Anti-inflammatory meds and regular stretching/yoga helped, but it wasn't until I suddenly discovered the cause that it finally went away completely.

First, let me point fingers and anybody and everybody who had me convinced that shifting the weight to the back foot was critical. I didn't understand the difference between stacking the weight against the back foot and shifting the weight to, or worse yet, over the back foot and this caused me to twist too far while leaning (or tilting, whatever the proper term is) to the left.

In other words really reefing back to kill the ball. At the beginning of the down swing all the power is jammed against the already compressed muscles and nerves in the lower left back which caused my back problem, and I'm willing to bet your problem too.

The cure came with concentrating on maintaining spine angle over swiveling hips and not shifting hips, while keeping my hips back and shoulders square through the swing. Needless to say this helped my entire game and I break 90 regularly with many 41's 42's on front or back, just can't put two together!

What was interesting about this pain, see if its the same for you, is that I could go to the range and start out sore, but after warming up it would seem to be better. By the time I got home, however, I could really feel it and new I had just exacerbated the problem. Once I was swinging right, the pain didn't follow me home and I knew I was on the right track. I also have cut waaaaay back on range balls and focus more on the iron game.

Yeah, Seattlepop. That's me alright. Except for the fact of hitting that many balls a week, that sounds like me. If I try something new, I want to be the best in it, no matter what. This summer I joined a leadership program at a nearby university. I had no idea there was some debate involved. I tried it. I got hooked. I went undefeated until when it mattered most. I had a chance to get into the semifinals. I lost. But I felt so pumped. Just like in golf. I as given a day off from school. I went directly to the golf course to practice. When I warm up before a round, I just take about five or six practice swings, hit some balls, and I go play. But today I would stretch before every shot and I would feel some pain but it would dissapate as I would stretch. When I would hit, I would feel no pain. Only thing is that I have to constantly be stretching in order to have a full range of motion. But I can still do normal daily motions. Plus I think losing weight will also help my back. Thanks for the replies.

Hi Gohan,

I'm with Snr on this one - see the quack.

Backs are a funny thing. Once they are stuffed ooooh they can give grief for a long time.

Just to help you a bit (for a r/h) have your left foot pointing outward a little at address - say 11 o'clock. This will help releave some pressure on the follow through.

When at the next tee turn to the right a couple of times - turn from the waist. This will even up the turning of the follow through on the previous hole.

See someone mate.

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In addition to all the good advice...when you get back to normal, make good posture a part of your daily life and golf movements. Nothing helped me along these lines as when 30 years ago, I began ballroom dancing. It's also excellent for tempo. Good tempo is excellent for injury prevention as well. For me, moves that are executed in a controlled , rhythmic manner are less likely to cause injury. This is especially true when hitting a driver.

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