By Dylan Nibblett, Aquacare Salisbury – Injury Center
Regardless of your age, golfing can place a lot of unwanted stress on your body and especially your low back. Whether you are an avid golfer or a weekend warrior, this article can help you prevent low back injuries and return to the game from previous injuries.
When looking to prevent injuries on the course a good warm up is imperative, warm ups should consist of 5-10 minutes of gentle stretching to ensure readiness to swing. After 5-10 minutes, swinging the club beginning at 25% power and work your way up to wherever you feel most comfortable, which does not have to be 100% power. During you round here are a few more tips to avoid injury;
Try to avoid standing and swinging on uneven surfaces, which can affect stability of the spine.
Enter and exit bunkers at the lowest point to not put unnecessary strain on the back.
Avoid excessive bending or staying in one position too long (walking, standing).
After your round proper rest and recovery is just as important as the warm up. Using ice on the same day and heat if symptoms persist for 2 or more days.
If you find yourself with a back injury sustained on or off the course you may feel anxious to get back out on the course, so here are a few tips to help you get back out there.
The first step is to build up core and lower extremity strength and overall flexibility, in which physical therapy can greatly help. You may also want to start slow with chipping and putting and continue to move back in distance, while identifying aggravating factors in your game. With many back injuries, you may need to consider modifying your swing which may include a shorter backswing and limiting rotation.
For recovery or returning to golf, physical therapy can help you achieve your goals with a personalized golf warm up, home exercise program, and manual techniques to help you play to the best of your ability.
Aquacare/Fitness Forum Physical Therapy
