Is Back Pain Hindering Your Golf Game?

Feb. 11, 2009 - PRLog -- The incidence of lower back pain amongst the nation’s approximately 30 million amateur and professional golfers alike is extremely high.  Lumbar pain is reported to be the most common musculoskeletal condition affecting working age adults in the U.S., second only to the common cold. Statistics indicate that a stunning 80% of Americans over the age of 30 will suffer with crippling lower back pain during their lifetime.


There are a few inherent problems with the sport and the participant.  First, most golfers do not take the time to warm up their lower back or core muscles prior to the first swing.  The warm up is important because taking a cold back into the full motion of a swing can overstretch, strain or sprain the muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the spine and ones core.  Secondly, the amount of time waiting for the next swing is often substantial enough for the body to cool down even if one has had the opportunity to stretch and warm up.  Keeping the body warmed up through all holes can be very challenging.  This leaves the golfer’s back in a vulnerable state.  “The majority of recreational golfers are middle aged men with middle aged dried up and degenerated discs in their backs indicative of degenerative spinal and disc disease and it’s only a matter of time before one swing too many herniates or bulges the next susceptible disc”, says Dr. John Thomas, DC, a non-surgical spinal disc rehab doctor who treats in his south Atlanta practice all types of golf related back problems including herniated discs, bulging discs, facet syndrome, stenosis, sciatica, and faulty biomechanics.


The tangential torque dynamics of the golf swing puts all golfers at risk even if proper technique is employed.  As indicated in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery1 and the Journal of Orthopaedic Research2, research has found rotational forces to be associated with lumbar spine injury. The lower back is not designed for the immense amount of torque that is placed upon the facet joints of the spine and the annular fibers of the discs at each lumbar level during the modern golf swing. Dr. Thomas sees a number of golf patients who have become surgical candidates due to their faulty swing habits and weak core. “Every time a golfer takes a swing consider the wrenching that takes place with each forceful twist especially if the golfer’s core muscles are weak, which is the case with the many recreational golfer patients that come to me with a herniated disc as a last resort to learn a new stretch or back strengthening exercise, or to try chiropractic or Accu-Spina IDD Therapy® spinal decompression treatments”, comments Dr. Thomas.


Dr. Thomas spends a lot of time in his practice demonstrating how to perform exercises that strengthen the core and prevent golf back injuries with his golf conditioning program. He shares: “The pelvic floor muscles, the transverse abdominal muscles, the quadratus lumborum muscles, the very deep multifidus muscles, the quadriceps, gluteal muscles and hamstrings all need to be in tip top shape in order to have a strong resilient lower back and that’s what we strive for.”


For more information of solving your golf related low back or leg pain, numbness or tingling, or weakness, visit proven-back-pain-relief.com or call Allied Healthcare at 770-460-1911.  Dr. Thomas offers complimentary comprehensive MRI reviews and second opinions for those facing surgery for their severe chronic or acute lower back pain.

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Allied Healthcare Clinics, Inc. specializes in IDD Spinal Decompression Therapy™ for those facing back surgery or suffering from sports, spinal or disc injuries. Learn more at http://www.proven-back-pain-relief.com/