🔊Sportsbox reduces injuries🔊 Why do I feel lower back pain after golfing? How can I prevent it? How can I alleviate some of the pains? What are some exercises I can do for it? In this article, we'll cover all of these topics and more.
Golf is popular because it is a sport with great longevity; golf enthusiasts can play up to the age of 80, 90, or even 100 if they take good care of their body. However, it is a rotation sport at a high speed, which can lead to some injuries. The torque and force applied throughout the lower back can increase the risk of developing or worsening any lower back pains. To swing pain free, it is important to monitor your mechanics but also stretch and strengthen your body. Sportsbox 3D Golf can quantify your movement to help reduce injuries and lower back pain.
Why should I care?
- Use Sportsbox to ensure you’re in the ideal ranges to keep your body happy and healthy. Keep close track of your movement, making sure you’re out of the danger zone.
- If you’re already experiencing lower back pain, check your Sportsbox trackers to identify the root cause. Then, check out some exercises to help strengthen your body, courtesy of Perform for Golf.
Table of Contents:
- Key movements that cause back pain
- How to monitor each movement with Sportsbox 3D Golf
- Exercise for Back Pain with Perform For Golf (P4G)
Without proper mechanics or insufficient training, people can suffer from recurring back pains. There could be a few culprits that lead to lower back pain, but these are three that we’ve identified as top contenders: Chest Bend, Chest Side Bend, and Pelvis Thrust.
Why is this important?
- Chest Bend: When a golfer has too much chest extension at the top of their swing, it leads to a reverse spine angle. This occurs when the upper body leans towards the target at the top of the backswing, creating a reverse “C” shape. This creates a reverse angle between the spine and the target line. This position places excessive stress on the lower back as it twists and bends unnaturally during the downswing and follow-through.
- Side Bend: When the chest excessively bends sideways toward the target at impact, it can cause the spine to twist and compress unnaturally, increasing the chance of strains and discomfort in the lower back. This faulty movement pattern not only can increase the risk of injury but also disrupts the transfer of energy through the swing.
- Pelvis Thrust: Too much pelvis thrust in the downswing and impact leads to early extension. This means the hips thrust forward toward the ball too soon in the downswing, causing the pelvis to move closer to the ball and the spine to straighten prematurely. This movement destabilizes the spine’s alignment and puts excessive pressure on the lower back muscles and joints, leading to discomfort or pain.
How can I monitor each?
The Sportsbox 3D Golf app has many trackers and indicators to track your movement.
- Chest Bend Tracker: Sportsbox Golfers can track their reverse spine angle by using the Chest Bend at Top indicator. If you are within the Pro (green) range, you are at a lower risk of experiencing this. Using Sportsbox will allow you to see if you’re doing too much or not enough, and it will show you how you can fix it.
- Side Bend Tracker: Sportsbox Golfers can track their spine angle at impact by using the Chest Side Bend at Impact indicator. When it is above the Pro (green) range, it means your chest tilt is away from the target.
- Pelvis Thrust Tracker: Sportsbox golfers can monitor their early extension in their downswing using the Pelvis Thrust trackers. They will be able to monitor how much their pelvis is coming out at all points of their swing, especially in their downswing. In an ideal swing, the golfer can maintain their pelvis position for as long as possible, before standing up through the ball.
Combating Lower Back Pain
If you are already experiencing lower back pain or want to prevent it from happening in the future, our friends at Perform for Golf have the perfect exercises for you.
Click on the exercise's names to watch a short demonstration video.
To learn more about these exercises, click here for more instructions and Perform for Golf's full article.
All five of these Perform for Golf exercises target increasing hip mobility and increasing core strength in order to achieve more stability in the golf swing. Incorporating preventative exercises into your routine can significantly reduce the risk of experiencing lower back pain during a golf swing. With Sportsbox 3D Golf, you can quantify and measure core body movements to ensure you are staying within a safe range to mitigate any risk of injury and enjoy the game with confidence. Enhance your golf game and keep your body happy!