The Golfers Guide to Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain is by far the most common ailment suffered by golfers of all ages. It is estimated that 28.1% of all players deal with lower back pain after every round. Lower back pain is also the most common complaint amongst professional golfers on all tours, with recent data revealing 23% of tour professionals are playing with lower back pain.

Research into injuries sustained in golfers has discovered that the lower back is rarely the original cause of the pain! It may be the source of the pain, but rarely is it the cause. More often than not, it is the lumbar spine (lower back) that is being unnecessarily overworked to the point of injury due to abnormal motions or forces coming from connected body parts.

Research on screening golfers has exposed that lack of mobility or poor flexibility in the ankles, hips, thoracic spine (middle spine) and shoulders forces the lumbar spine to carry excessive loads causing breakdown and ultimately pain.  It is therefore this lack of flexibility in the mentioned areas above that is the primary cause for the back pain and subsequently the areas your golf physiotherapist will need to address.

To unravel the cause of a golfers lower back pain, two of our physiotherapists Andrew and Mitchell are accredited Level 2 TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) Medical Professionals who are trained to evaluate the movement patterns in a golfers body.  Andrew and Mitchell will conduct a screening that identify any altered movement patterns and will then address any mobility or stability restrictions to fix the dysfunction. When the areas above and below the lumbar spine are functioning properly, the stress on the lumbar spine will be considerably less and an ongoing individualized conditioning program should be implemented to prevent future lower back episodes.

Andrew and Mitchell also firmly believe in working collaboratively with your golf professional to ensure each golfer is able to optimize his or her swing mechanics in order to achieve the most efficient swing for their body.