WHAT ARE THE TOP TWO CAUSES OF LOW BACK PAIN IN GOLFERS? 

If you’ve ever had low back pain or stiffness during or after a round of golf, there’s a good chance it can be your actual swing mechanics putting extra stress on your spine.

Two of the most common swing characteristics we see in golfers with back pain are:

Reverse Spine Angle

A Reverse Spine Angle is any excessive upper body backward bend or excessive left lateral (for right-handed golfers) upper body bend during the backswing.

This position places a significant amount of stress on the lower back during the downswing because the chest has to travel farther and faster to return to impact.

Anytime you combine forward bending, rotation, and speed together, the lower back tends to pay the price.

Early Extension

Early extension occurs when the hips and spine begin to straighten too early during the downswing.

In this impact position, the core and glute muscles are put in a poor position to properly engage and support the low back through rotation.

Similar to Reverse Spine Angle, anytime you have a rapid rotation of the body with no core engagement, that’s a good recipe for back pain.

It also happens to be one of the biggest contributors to the dreaded shank (sorry I typed that word out)… because your hips move closer to the ball, leaving less room for your hands and club to move through impact and leads to ball strikes toward the hosel.

Do you know what is happening in your swing?

Next time you play, ask one of your buddies to record your swing. You may be surprised (or not) what you see.

So how do you improve these positions?

In many cases, it comes down to mobility limitations.

If your body lacks proper mobility in a few key areas, it will almost always find a way to work around those restrictions during the swing.

And unfortunately, those compensations often show up as the exact positions described above.

That’s why we put together a simple at-home golf mobility assessment to help you check these areas for yourself.

Have you taken the home assessment yet?

Playing without post round back stiffness is possible!

Hit em’ straight,

Dr. Roberts

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