How to Play Golf With Back Pain -You Must Need To Know
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There are few health problems that complicate your love of golf quite like chronic back pain. After all, you can still get around, make your shots, and enjoy playing a round or two with friends. The discomfort and pain it often causes due to post surgical or long term back problems can definitely take a lot of joy out of the experience. You don’t need to let back pain ruin your love of golf. With a little patience and some forethought, you can take control and reduce or eliminate your discomfort while out on the links.
This step by step guide will help you take back your golf game whether your back pain is a long term chronic issue, or a post-surgery problem. Naturally, you will want to consult with your personal physician before you begin to play golf again after an operation, but these techniques should prove beneficial regardless of the source of your back pain.
What You Will Need to Follow This Tutorial
Here is a brief list of what you will need to participate in these back pain reduction techniques:
- Golf clubs
- Comfortable golf shoes
- Loose-fitting comfortable golf clothes
- A glove or any other equipment you use on a regular basis.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Begin each game with some light stretching
This is the fundamental technique to a better golf game even with back pain. If you don’t stretch the muscles in your back before play, you could injure or loosen your back during the game. Check with your doctor or physical therapist regarding what stretches are best for strengthening your back, along with any exercises you can do between games to help reduce your back pain. Here are a few stretches that work well for most golfers:
-Shoulder and torso stretch: Hold a club behind your shoulders and neck, gripping the ends of the club while rotating your upper body gently. Repeat five times.
-Hip stretch: Raise one of your knees to your chest. Allow it to drop gently, then pull your other kneed to your chest. Repeat five times.
Hamstring stretch: Try to touch your toes while keeping your knees and legs straight. Don’t overextend or you may injure yourself. Verify with a physical therapist that this stretch is safe for you to do post-surgery. The more flexible your hamstrings, the better your hip motion and the easier it is to relieve pressure on the discs of your lower back.
After stretching, take some gentle practice swings to help you warm up your muscles and joints. Always take these practice swings before you start your game.
2. Use more powerful clubs
Your back pain is going to cause some reduction in your overall swinging power. Make your shots easier on yourself by “clubbing up”. During your practice, start by using the small irons and work your way up to your large wood. This will make your warmups far more effective and help you adjust to your post-operative abilities.
3, Slowly work your way back up to your usual level of play
Log some time at the driving range to help learn how your body handles your golf swing before heading out on the course after an operation. It may seem dull and repetitive, but you are retraining your body to regain what it may have lost, and repeating smooth and deliberate easy shots will help you regain your muscle memory more quickly.
4. Adjust your stance
Try standing a few inches closer to the ball than you normally would. This will improve your center of gravity during your swing and allow your hips to turn more easily.
5. Begin your backswing by moving your hips, hands, and the club simultaneously
For right handed players, begin by bending your left knee slightly (reverse this if left handed) to allow your hips to turn a little further. The smoother your swing, the less pain you will experience from your back. Gently rotating your shoulder, chest, hips and lower spine simultaneously allows your body to divide the strain equally across all of your body.
6. Be extra careful on the downswing
This is the problem area for most players with back pain. When most players initiate their downswing, they start with their hips. The problem is when you can’t twist your hips like you used to with a back injury, your hips are going to travel faster than your hands and increase the risk of throwing your back out. The easiest way to avoid this is to start your swing with your hands then follow through with your hips to make a stronger impact.
7. Do not twist around
Torsion of your body may feel natural, but it should be avoided at all costs if you have suffered a back injury or had back surgery. Turn your whole body to see where your shot has gone. You don’t need to twist to maintain good form, just finish your swing with the club above your head.
Conclusion
The most important lesson to learn when it comes to playing golf with back pain is this: don’t overdo it. These techniques will not help you and will not prevent further back pain during play if you push yourself too hard or try to play like you always have. Carry all items carefully, particularly your golf bag. Nothing ruins a day of careful golfing faster than poor bag handling. Last but not least, avoid repeated bending to collect your bag, or use a bag that has a wheeled stand. Following these steps and tips carefully will go a long way towards helping you reduce your back pain, as well as making recovery after back surgery much more effective. With practice and patience, you will be out enjoying the game.
