It’s that time of year. The sun is coming out, the grass is growing fast, and those sticks in the garage are calling your name. You got the perfect tee time at your favorite course on Saturday morning and it’s looking like a fine start to the season. Halfway through the round, you begin to feel some pain in your lower back. At first, it’s negligible and you can forget about the pain while you focus on getting down the fairway. After a couple more holes, though, the pain gets worse and your back begins to stiffen up as well. The rest of the round is a struggle and you cannot stay focused on your game. By the time you get home, all you are thinking about is how fast you can take Advil and lay down.
If this sounds a bit familiar, it’s time to see your Physical Therapist.
As golfers, we need a significant amount of mobility, strength, and stability throughout various points of the body. When you have one or more deficits in the kinetic chain, you may end up with any number of common golf-related injuries of the low back. Some common injuries include inflammation of the lumbar facet joints, otherwise called lumbar facet syndrome, or strain of the lumbopelvic muscles.
Seeing your Physical Therapist for an evaluation and individualized treatment plan early on is important for a quick recovery and a happy season of golfing. These kinds of conditions may worsen with overuse, and typically the longer they continue, the longer it takes to recover.
Your Physical Therapist may help you recover with any combination of manual therapy, specific exercises, spinal and joint mobilization, and manipulation, spinal decompression, modalities such as cold laser, and customized warm-up and home exercises to help promote self-management. Your examination and diagnosis, along with your treatment goals, will help you and your Physical Therapist come up with the right plan.
If you are experiencing back pain when golfing, call SportsCare Physical Therapy now to set up your examination or request an appointment online. We look forward to meeting you and helping you get back to the course.