How to Play Golf With Back Pain

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
As a veteran of lifelong back problems and back surgeries (the last a fusion) it often reminds me of the saying, "There are two kind of golfers...those with back problems and those that are gonna have back problems."These steps will help you whether you have a bad back or after back surgeries. Obviously, you will need your doctors o.k. before playing golf.

Steps

1. Stretch! This is a very important step. Always stretch your back muscles to help prevent further injury and to loosen your back.
2. Club up! When you have back pain you WILL lose some power. Help yourself out by clubbing up 1 or 2 clubs.
3. When addressing the ball stand 2-3 inches closer to the ball. This will give you a better center of gravity and help your hips turn easily.
4. Start your backswing by moving your hips simultaneously with your hands and club. Bend your left knee (right handed) a little more to allow your hips to turn further.
5. The problems really start on the downswing for people with back pain. Most golfers initiate their downswing with the hips, but when you ca not torque your hips as much, they get way ahead of your hands. To avoid this start your downswing with your hands slowly then engage your hips and blast through the ball.
6. You do not have to twist your body around to finish in a perfect pose. Just make sure to finish with the club high. Over your head is fine.

7. Tips

   • I highly recommend a little driving range time to get your hands and hips in sync.
   • You might also look at icing your back before and after play to minimize inflammation.

   Warnings

   • Remember if you have back pain always get checked out by your doctor and get there o.k. before playing any sport. Golf can be very grueling on your back, take these extra precautions to reduce your chance of back injury.

   Sources and Citations

   • http://oregongolf.wordpress.com/
   • http://top10linksource.blogspot.com/

   Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Play Golf With Back Pain. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.