Back Problems

[spmurph]

I've recently been experiencing back pain and have stopped playing for the past few weeks. I've since worked on more stretching as well as some physical therapy exercises. The pain isn't too bad so I hope to get back on the course soon.

I was looking at my swing for possible faults that may have caused my back issue and I noticed my left knee (I'm a lefty) goes more towards the ball approaching impact, rather than towards the target. I also noticed I finish in a bit of a "reverse C" position.

Just wondering if anyone thinks the above moves may have caused my back pain and if you have any swing tips to prevent future injury.

BTW, I am not trying to create a thread about which swing method is easiest on the back

 

[natep]

I like to drag my rear foot towards the target through impact. I just posted a swing in a thread yesterday that shows an example. It helps me a lot. I would probably break my back if I kept my rear foot planted into the followthrough.

 

[cwdlaw223]

Hard to diagnose your source of pain without an MRI. I have a herniated disc (8mm) at my L5-S1 area and the torn disc itself causes my back pain. I never had a traumatic injury that caused the problem and its just wear and tear over time. Some days the pain is a 2 other days its a 7. Hit or miss. Until they can re-generate human tissue everyone is subject to increased back problems as they get older. If you don't have pain shooting down your leg (be thankful - fortunately I don't as well) you don't have nerve impingement on the spine.

Golfing invariably puts stress on your spine and the corresponding muscles that support your skeletal frame. Some "backs" handle the stress and others don't. I don't think you have a "fault" in your swing that causes your pain. Some people restrict their hip turn and torque their back against the hip turn without any pain. If I did such action I would eventually drop to the ground and have to quit playing golf. Each person is different.

I recommend that you take a cart when you play and do not carry your bag. Walking for four hours is hard on a tender back.

There is no magic answer to the problem until medicine can re-generate tissue.

I hope my rambling gave you some comfort. (BTW - It took me 8 seconds today to bend over and pickup my sons soccer ball today and I'm only 39. Other days I can pickup the ball in a second).

 

[HowardK]

L5 S1

I don't know much golf but i k now backs

i have that exactly...........i had 8 facets shots in my back yesterday

ambulatory center....nice relaxing anest, and wake up in about 10 minutes

i had an mri ... 4 xrays...cat scan..pre- procedure..........they put 1 shot on each side..started at L3 LEFT RIGHT

L4 LEFT RIGHT.....ETC ETC, went to golf usa today where i live near hit balls into a net for 20 min

NO PAIN...now the ? is will it continue???......no idea! can only hope.

If pain comes back....he (in 2 weeks) will be doing rf frequncy.............basically killing the sensory nerve that carries the pain to the area....of course not motor nerves just sense........

then i won't have any sense....lol just realized what i wrote....i know your pain

my friend who is a physical therapist told me to move laterally and i would be fine..(ballard)?? nah

i am going to ask Brian to do a pattern for ME AND ALL of us that have back issues

then he will do a dvd....which i am going to ask him to let me TITLE....

and it will be called.... "BACK ON TRACK".....i think he will do it if i ask nicely.........

but i can't ask today..........cuz his TiGERS lost.... i will ask him tomorrow

we shall survive we will play golf....and Brian will......BACK us up

 

[birdie_man]

!!

 

[spuds]

I have had four Radio Frequency treatments on my back. First they give you the Facet blocks to make sure they have the right area. Unfoutunately the facet blocks only lasted 1 week for me, but it was the best I felt since my back trouble. The RF's that I had done lasted about 8 to 10 months, but unfortunately it is the law of diminsihing returns, as the first one worked the best and the last one hardly at all. Good luck, hope your pain goes away..

 

[HowardK]

thanks spuds

yes thank you..............i was under the impression that the rf...was a permanent thing

are't they deadening the sensory nerve?? but maybe what you are saying is....it comes back

hmm interesting...i will look into it


again....thank you for the info and good wishes

h

 

[spmurph]

Thanks for the responses. Reading the problems some of you have and still play is reassuring.

So you guys just pretty much play through the pain don't make any adjustments to your swing?

Luckily, my issue is not nearly as bad as some of you. It's just that I'm young and afraid if I keep at it this way it's only going to get worse.

 

[cwdlaw223]

I've learned to play and live through the pain. It sucks. Better than surgery. I won't have that until I'm bed ridden. This is a complicated subject and there are many variablesw that affect back pain. I believe that we all have an inherent swing and our body will swing in a certain way to avoid pain. The problems occur when that "inherent swing" doesn't allow you to hit the shot you want to hit.

For me, the more upright my spine the less stress on my "back." Thus, a "two plane" backswing feels better for me. The X factor swing concept would kill me and probably most glass backs.

 

[HowardK]

LET ME ASK BRIAN

HERE is a serious question....tht might or might not have an answer

i will ask with the hope of something..........a high % of golfers have back problems

without seeing any particular person... (but you have seen many) what would you say

is a good (pattern-like) to try with the hope of no stress on the back.............nah thats not fair

let me rephrase...."with as LITTLE stress" as possible...

part 2....did you say you were working working on a pattern for older people??..if so??

maybe a couple of hints?

thanks
h

 

[Kevin Shields]

If you cant tilt due to back problems, I wonder if you have any choice but to close your stance, turn the hips more and high right shoulder cover through the ball.

 

[cwdlaw223]

I wouldn't be surprised if the pattern depends upon the person and their unique back problems. I've never found that Brian's patterns overly stress the back. For me and my herniated disc, I can't overly turn my shoulders against stationary hips (the X factor). it's amazing how our bodies can adapt to stress.

 

[spktho]

Thanks for the responses. Reading the problems some of you have and still play is reassuring.

So you guys just pretty much play through the pain don't make any adjustments to your swing?

Luckily, my issue is not nearly as bad as some of you. It's just that I'm young and afraid if I keep at it this way it's only going to get worse.

I had surgery on the L5-S1 disc(microsurgical discectomy) when I was 18 years old. Of course, I then herniated the disc above, L4-L5, about 5 years after that, but didn't have surgery. I have had back problems since I was 17 years old, form playing baseball, and am now 41. I have hurt my back only once playing golf and that was when I had the dumb idea of swinging a push broom in an effort to increase swing speed.

As cwdlaw223 noted, there are a few sources for the back pain(an MRI is helpful, but not necessarily definitive) and there are also various therapies to treat each source of pain. If you don't get the results you want with your current physician/therapy, then you need to ask for a referral(or find your own) to another specialist who may utilize a different treatment that may help.

I think that, in general, as you get more efficient swinging the golf club that you lessen the stress on any one body part. But, the lumbar spine is always working in any weight bearing position.

If you cant tilt due to back problems, I wonder if you have any choice but to close your stance, turn the hips more and high right shoulder cover through the ball.

I agree with this, too.

 

[HowardK]

say this

I wouldn't be surprised if the pattern depends upon the person and their unique back problems. I've never found that Brian's patterns overly stress the back. For me and my herniated disc, I can't overly turn my shoulders against stationary hips (the X factor). it's amazing how our bodies can adapt to stress.

i will say this....Brian might or might not need to see the person

i would hope that he could just give us a starting point

having said that....kevin is an excellent teacher...........he might chime in as well...

people who don't have certain back problems find it hard to relate........but good teachers find answers

anyway hopefully we can get some hints............a physical therapist said i would need to lateral shift

but i am not smart enough to figure it out...............damon. or kevin..might know....but i am not giving them much info......

here....this is me.............setup..........shoulders, sternum,head are turned left...y?

because the top of my spine (cervical) moves left...about 2 inches............when i go to turn back

i get stopped when i face center..................people down here the try to help....but the best i get is.

don't do that!!!!!!!!!!!!....anyway.....my mind and vision know exactly what i want to do.......my body

just can't do it....total frustration cuz i love this game so much.........cwd......i believe you said your shoulders can't turn against stationary hips.........ok..there is your starting point....you know what you can't do...........Kevin? take him to the top knowing his limitation........please

h

 

[birdie_man]

You are smart enough.

You are on your own Howard!

 

[HowardK]

really??

You are smart enough.

You are on your own Howard!

Y thank you my friend.......if i may share.....I AM SMART ENOUGH!!!!!

smart enough to know WHEN i don't know

smart enough to find someone who does

h

 

[spmurph]

If you cant tilt due to back problems, I wonder if you have any choice but to close your stance, turn the hips more and high right shoulder cover through the ball.

Tilting doesn't seem to aggravate the pain in and of itself, it's extension that seems to do it. Although, now that I think about it, I guess I also extend when I tilt. I'll give the high right shoulder through the ball a go and report back.

Don't you also suffer from a bad back Kevin? I thought I remembered reading that.

 

[golfdad]

i think "back pain" is rather non-specific, like saying, "bad swing".

before getting non-medical advices for a medical condition, i think it is important to have a precise diagnosis.

is it a case of acute, subacute, chronic discogenic problem?

is it generalized degenerative arthritic problem?

spinal or foraminal stenosis?

god forbid,,,cancer related, etc.

(there was a case i remember vividly that the person complains of back pain, turns out his abdominal aorta was about the pop)

theoretically, the treatment direction for each above entity can be quite different.

after one is medically cleared, i think it is a good idea to find a physical therapist who has worked with golfers and device a set of core exercises focusing on strength and flexibility.

 

[AJV]

I recommend that you take a cart when you play and do not carry your bag. Walking for four hours is hard on a tender back.

I would think the opposite. I don't have back problems, but I've heard walking prescribed to sore backs. Agree on not carrying a bag, rather use one of those push carts. Or have your playing partner drive the cart and walk to your ball as often as you can.

 

[FloydPT38]

First, Look at your hips

Hi, spmurph

The first thing I would look at is your hip flexibility. Stretching both internal and external rotation. There was a study linking pro golfers with low back pain and tight internal hip rotation. From my experience you need to check both (internal and external), make sure both sides are flexible and as even as possible.

Usually, don't worry as much about stretching your low back (as with trying to do a twisting/low back stretch) but do stretch your upper back and neck.

The other thing I would look at is make sure you are doing some hip strengthening. If your left knee breaks in it often is due to tightness and/or weakness in the hip musculature. There are a number of exercises to strengthen your hips. One of the easiest is side step-ups.

Finally, you mentioned doing some physical therapy exercises. Have you worked with a therapist? My top recommendation would be to research around a little and find a PT who has golf experience. Even if you just see them a couple of times, they should be able to save you a lot of time and focus your exercise program on what you need to work on.

Hope this helps

FloydPT