More and more golfers are turning to chiropractic, not just to treat pain syndromes like golfer’s elbow, but also because they’ve heard that chiropractic could help improve their swing and their golf game.  Both motivations have a lot of merit!

Low Back Injuries in Golf

A little known golf statistic is that low back pain represents the number one complaint/injury among PGA tour professionals. Low back sprains/strains and even disc problems are equally, if not more prevalent among amateur golfers. Low back injuries can occur among golfers for many reasons including poor swing mechanics, repetitive strain, or simple overuse. In any case, the first step in treating or preventing low back injuries in golf is identifying how and why they occur.

The key to determining the cause of most low back injuries in golf is understanding the golf swing as it relates to the mechanics of the lumbar spine and pelvis. The golf swing is inherently stressful on the low back and pelvis. As with throwing a baseball, shooting a puck in hockey or serving a tennis ball, power in the golf swing is generated from the ground up. This means that forces are generated first in the lower body, then transferred through the low back and pelvis, to the torso, upper limbs and eventually to the golf club.  This places an incredible amount of torque and strain on the muscles and joints that stabilize the lumbar spine and pelvis. Strength and stability of these muscles and joints are therefore essential not only for generating power, but for avoiding low back injuries in golf.     

Chiropractic Can Help!

Chiropractic can help prevent or reduce the frequency and severity of low back injuries in golf. This is because chiropractic adjustments remove vertebral subluxations (misalignments) in the spine that interfere with the proper function of the nervous system and muscles. In doing so, chiropractic adjustments create mobility in the joints and balance in the muscles of the pelvis and low back. This provides the core strength and stability required to transfer forces from the lower body to the upper body and golf club to generate a powerful golf swing. In addition, this reduces the stress and strain placed on the discs, joints and soft tissues of the lumbar spine and pelvis.

If you have or have had low back pain or low back injuries in the past, contact your chiropractor for an examination to determine if chiropractic could help you or your golf game!

Contributed by:

Dr. Dean MacDonald, D.C.