Contact Us

Book Now

Careers

lower back pain

Don’t Let Lower Back Pain Keep You Off the Links

If you’re golfing with lower back pain

… Your pain could be caused by poor mobility in your hips and weakness in your core.

… Prevent lower back pain with strengthening exercises.

… Work with a trusted sports physical therapist for the best results.

As soon as the weather grows warm, avid golfers dust off their clubs and hit the course. However, nothing puts a damper on a new golf season like lower back pain.

Golfing may seem like a less action-intense sport than others, so sometimes it’s easy to forget that golfers sustain sports-related injuries, too. These injuries come from the repetitive motions of swinging your club throughout the season. Lower back pain is the most common complaint among golfers and two factors put golfers at an increased risk. If you enjoy golfing, be aware of the effects of limited hip mobility and core weakness.  

Limited Hip Mobility

If you’re a golfer experiencing lower back pain, you might have limited internal rotation in your hips. This is the rotation of the head of the femur bone in your hip socket. The hip of your dominant side of your body goes through this rotation on your backswing. Then the opposite hip rotates the same way on your downswing.

If your hips are too stiff, however, you will struggle to turn with the speed and power you want for a good swing, and your body will experience straining that leads to back pain. This stiffness can come from a sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise or simply not continuing your training during the off-season. When your hips usually sit in a comfy chair all day, naturally, it’s hard on them to suddenly be twisting and turning out on the links.

Core Weakness

Your hips aren’t the only body parts twisting and straining as you perfect your swing. Those same motions occur in your core and can cause lower back pain if you lack strength and flexibility there.

The lower back doesn’t naturally have a lot of flexibility for the power and motions necessary for a strong golf swing. Thus, it’s easy to injure your back if you haven’t trained and conditioned your core for golfing. Weakness in your core stresses the joints and muscles in your lower back when you swing your club, causing lower back pain. It will hurt your game, too!

Love Golfing But Want To Avoid The Lower Back Pain?

Here are some simple exercises you can do before and throughout the golf season to condition your body for the strain of practicing your swing.

Start with HIP DRIVERS to increase mobility in your hip joints. Stand with both hands against a wall and your feet placed about two feet from the wall. Leading with your knee, lift your right leg towards your left hand. Repeat this motion with the opposite leg. This movement imitates the rotation of the hip during golfing and is great practice for the hip joint. Do 10-12 reps.

Move on to BACK BRIDGES to strengthen your lower back and hips. Lay flat on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Contract your core muscles and lift your bottom off the ground until you are in a full “bridge” position. Hold yourself in this position one or two seconds before slowly lowering yourself to the floor. Do two sets of 20-25 reps two to three times a week.

Finally, try BIRD DOGS for core stabilizing. Get on your hands and knees and tighten your core. Then slowly stretch out your right arm and left leg simultaneously until they are parallel with your spine. Lower and repeat the same motions with your opposite arm and leg. Do at least five reps for each side.

Still Have Lower Back Pain? Try Sports Physical Therapy

If hip and core strengthening exercises don’t relieve your back pain or the pain has become debilitating, consider visiting a sports physical therapist. Look for one that has experience working with golfers and understands the unique movements and mechanics involved in the sport. With orthopedic physical therapy and rehabilitation and modalities such as manual therapy among others, your physical therapist can help you condition your body to cure the pain and prevent future injuries so that you can get back out on the course in no time.

True Sports Physical Therapy – Where Maryland Athletes Rehab

At True Sports, we’re sports-focused because you’re sports-focused. The best physical therapists in Baltimore and Maryland provide the highest level of sports physical therapy and expertise you need to get back to your sport. With six convenient state-of-the-art locations to choose from, any athlete who takes their rehab seriously can get awesome care and extraordinary results. Select your location and schedule an appointment and have True Sports get you back to your team. For questions about insurance or self-pay rates, please call our office at 1-401-946-1672.

When Can You Return to Sports After an ACL Injury?

Read more

Shoulder Injuries are Common in Golfers

Read more

3 Common Upper Body Overuse Injuries in Young Athletes and How to Avoid Them

Read more

Knee Weakness: Get Relief + Build Strength with These 3 Home Exercises

Read more

What Can Athletes Do About Quad Shut Down?

Read more

Does Strength Prevent Injury?

Read more

True Sports Coronavirus Response

Read more

Lacrosse Injuries – The 5 Most Common with 7 Tips to Prevent them

Read more

Exercising While Wearing a Mask: Common Misconceptions

Read more

Why Elite Community Servants Need Physical Therapy STAT

Read more

Training with a CrossFit Physical Therapist Helps Avoid Common Injuries

Read more

One Major Tip for Making Your Diet a Success

Read more

The 7 Biggest Benefits of Physical Therapy

Read more

Overtraining: 7 Symptoms and What You Can Do About It Today

Read more

Dry Needling Therapy, Blood Flow Restriction, & Cupping: Does It Work for Athletes?

Read more

Shouldering the Blame for Shoulder Pain: Arthritis or Bursitis?

Read more

Why There is No Such Thing as an Off Season

Read more

Recovering from Spinal Surgery: What You Need to Know

Read more

How to Treat the Most Common Sports-Related Shoulder Injuries

Read more

The Cold Hard Facts About ACL Tear Risk Factors

Read more

Improve Your Running Form with These 8 Tips

Read more

How to Handle a Sports-Related Knee Injury

Read more

What’s Up With Barefoot Running?

Read more

How to Prevent Shoulder Impingement as an Overhead Athlete

Read more

Physical Therapy Guide for Hamstring Injuries

Read more

Knee Injuries from Soccer: Preventing Them with 3 Knee Strengthening Exercises

Read more

Gait Analysis – A Runner’s Secret Weapon Against Injury

Read more

Maximizing Your Post Injury Outcomes

Read more

4 Tips to Avoid Knee Injuries While Skiing

Read more

Don’t Let Lower Back Pain Keep You Off the Links

Read more

The Most Common Lacrosse Injuries

Read more

How Long Will My Physical Therapy Take?

Read more

The Unsung Hero of Pain Management: Nutrition

Read more

Care and Feeding of Pitchers in the Off-Season

Read more

What Can I Expect After Rotator Cuff Surgery?

Read more

3 Ways You Can Prevent Knee Injuries and Weakness

Read more

Experiencing Pain? See a Physical Therapist First

Read more

Can Athletes Benefit from Hip Arthroscopy?

Read more

High School Sports After the COVID-19 Pandemic: Returning Safely to the Game

Read more

Dry Needling: 6 Benefits To Help You Relieve Body Pain & Soreness In 1-2 Days

Read more

The Importance of a Strong Core

Read more

Golf Injuries – The 5 Most Common with 3 Tips & Stretches

Read more

Why Do We Need Sleep? (And More to the Point — How Do We Get It?)

Read more

What Athletes Need for the Ultimate Sports PT Facility

Read more

How You Can Avoid Germs at the Gym

Read more

An Awesome Inforgraphic About Lower Back Pain and Sports

Read more

How Common are Shoulder Injuries in Athletics?

Read more

Cupping Therapy: 4 Benefits & How It Can Relieve Pain Within 48 Hours

Read more

Strengthen Your Biceps With These 5 Home Workouts

Read more

7 Workout Mistakes Your Physical Therapist Doesn’t Want You to Make

Read more

Why You Should Go to Physical Therapy

Read more

Why True Sports Physical Therapy is Right For You

Read more

Is It An Ache or Am I Injured?

Read more

Groin Strains Symptoms and Treatments

Read more

Are You Ready for Golf Season?

Read more

How Athletes Avoid Knee Injuries When Competing, Practicing, Training or Working Out

Read more

How to Relieve Lower Back Pain as an Athlete

Read more

Quick Tips for Staying Motivated

Read more

Relieve Muscle Soreness With These 5 Tips

Read more

How Baseball Players Can Reduce Their Risk of UCL Injury

Read more

Cupping Therapy Relieves Pain and Encourages Healing

Read more

Physical Therapist vs Chiropractor: What's the Difference?

Read more

Some Thoughts Before Football Season

Read more

High School Sports Injuries

Read more

Is Blood Flow Restriction Training Right for You?

Read more

Staying Limber During Your Internship

Read more

What Athletes Should Know About Tendinopathy In the Shoulder

Read more

Meal Planning Tips for High School Athletes

Read more

Dry Needling vs Acupuncture: What’s The Difference?

Read more

What are Achilles Tendon Conditions Signs and Symptoms?

Read more

How to Relieve Sciatica Pain with Physical Therapy

Read more

How to Deadlift and Squat without Risking Lower Back Injury

Read more

Preventing the Most Common Lacrosse Injuries

Read more

Graston Technique 101

Read more

Is Stress Causing Your Lower Back Pain?

Read more

Get Knee Pain Relief With These 3 Stretches

Read more

Advice You Need to Train for a Marathon in 2021

Read more

Impact of Correct Posture on Sports Performance

Read more

The Risks of a Sedentary Lifestyle – Enough To Get You Moving

Read more

Make Your Outpatient Rehab Count

Read more

Relieve Back Pain Fast In 5 Ways

Read more

5 Tips to Improve & Maximize Your Athletic Performance

Read more

Physical Therapy: Why It’s Important Both Before and After Surgery

Read more

Is Elbow Arthritis Ruining Your Game?

Read more

Working from Home Shouldn’t Be a Pain in the Neck — or Back

Read more

Dry Needling Can Accelerate Recovery for Athletes

Read more

Join Volo City & Build Community Through Your Favorite Sport

Read more

Tips for Avoiding Running Injuries

Read more

6 Ways a Physical Therapist Can Enhance Your Running Performance

Read more

Attending Physical Therapy During COVID-19: Is It Safe?

Read more

Resistance Training is Important

Read more

Benefits of Sport Specific Rehabilitation

Read more

Benefits of Training with a Strength Coach

Read more

5 Tips for Preventing Wrestling Injuries

Read more

Non-Surgical Injury Treatment Options for Athletes

Read more

Sign up to our Newsletter

Get appointment updates, practical and actionable health + fitness tips, blog news, and True Sports announcements delivered straight to your inbox. No spam.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.