The following information appears courtesy of orthopedic surgeon Dr. Larry Foster, and is reprinted with permission from his "Dr. Divot's Guide to Golf Injuries."
Back pain can include:
• Mechanical back pain
• Disc-related back pain
• Arthritis pain
• Stress fracture
Symptoms:
Pain in back, stiffness, muscle spasms, leg symptoms if nerve irritation is present (numbness, pain, and/or weakness in the legs)
Treatments:
Among the possible treatments are: Rest, medication, therapy, bracing, cortisone, surgery.
Do:
• Use proper back mechanics when lifting your bag.
• Bend through the knees (squat) when retrieving the ball.
• Consider switching to a putter with a longer shaft.
• Bend through the knees (squat) when retrieving the ball.
• Consider switching to a putter with a longer shaft.
• Slow down the backswing to minimize rotational stress on the lower back at the top of the backswing.
• Adopt a big shoulder and hip turn on the backswing (classic swing technique).
• Make sure body weight is properly shifted to the right foot during the backswing, and that the arms and shoulders are kept within the plane of the swing at the top of the backswing.
• Adopt a big shoulder and hip turn on the backswing (classic swing technique).
• Make sure body weight is properly shifted to the right foot during the backswing, and that the arms and shoulders are kept within the plane of the swing at the top of the backswing.
Don't:
• Place the feet too far apart at the address phase (this limits the hip turn later in the swing and increases stress on the lower back).
• Hyperextend the spine on the follow-through, but rather utilize the relaxed upright "I" position (classic swing technique).
• Hyperextend the spine on the follow-through, but rather utilize the relaxed upright "I" position (classic swing technique).
About the Author
Larry Foster, M.D., F.A.A.O.S., is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who calls himself "a bad golfer, but a good golf orthopedist." Dr. Foster's enthusiasm for golf has earned him the nickname "Dr. Divot." Dr. Foster trained at Columbia University and the Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York City. He is the author of "Dr. Divot's Guide to Golf Injuries."
More Info on Back Pain
For a more in-depth examination of back pain, see the entry in the ADAM Health Encyclopedia on About.com for lower back pain. Also visit the About.com Guide to Back/Neck Injury and Chronic Pain.
