Are you one of those people who suffer from backaches?
Or maybe you’ve suffered backaches after playing golf in the past. If so, then you’re not alone, because surveys of golfers have found the most frequently encountered golf-related injuries are in the back area (followed by wrist, elbow and shoulder injuries).

Are you one of those people who suffer from backaches? 

Or maybe you’ve suffered backaches after playing golf in the past. If so, then you’re not alone, because surveys of golfers have found the most frequently encountered golf-related injuries are in the back area (followed by wrist, elbow and shoulder injuries).
  Furthermore, the frequency of injuries in this area can be explained by the tremendous amount of pressure and twisting of your skeletal structure and back muscles as you swing.
Prevention
Preventing  Backache
&  Improving  Your  Golf  Fitness

DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION MEDICINE
Physical  Medicine  and  Rehabilitation  Clinic
       Are you one of those people who suffer from backaches?  Or maybe you’ve suffered backaches after playing golf in the past. If so, then you’re not alone, because surveys of golfers have found the most frequently encountered golf-related injuries are in the back area (followed by wrist, elbow and shoulder injuries).
  Furthermore, the frequency of injuries in this area can be explained by the tremendous amount of pressure and twisting of your skeletal structure and back muscles as you swing.

Try These Suggestions for Preventing Back Injuries
And Helping to Improve Your Golf Performance

1. Maintain Proper Posture
  The correct standing posture involves holding your stomach in with chest out, shoulders straight, and as little bending at the waist as possible.  Standing with drooping shoulders and protruding abdomen causes a good deal of curving at the waist and can result in backache.  For correct sitting posture, sit upright with a straight spine leaning against the back of a chair of suitable height that should have arm rests.  Sitting too far away from the table will strain your back muscles.

2. Maintain Suitable Weight
  Excessive weight or weight gained in the abdomen makes the back muscles work harder and pulling for long periods of time can cause backache.
3. Use Back Muscles Properly
  When placing or keeping golf tees, all bending should take place at the knees and with a straight back, as bending down to place or pick up tees with knees unbent can cause backache.  The same is true when lifting your golf bag in and out of your trunk: you should bend at the knees with a straight back.  Keep your golf bag as close to your body as possible and lift with your legs.  It’s not recommended you twist your body much as you lift.  Finally, avoid leaning too far forward when you drive or putt.
4. Maintain the Muscular Flexibility and Strength in Your Back
  Do exercises in positions that stretch and build strength in the back muscles, because they (and other related muscles) contract both rigorously and swiftly as you swing.  If your muscles are stiff because you haven’t stretched them beforehand, they may become easily torn. Building muscular strength, however, will increase both strength and endurance in the structure of the muscular system and tissues to protect against injury while further increasing the power of your golf swing.
5. Cross Training
 The fact is golf is a sport that features use of the same muscles over and over again for several thousand or even tens of thousands of rounds on one side, putting golfers at risk for injuries to their muscles.  Other exercise, such as swimming, weight lifting and aerobics aimed at strengthening all the muscles in the body, can reduce the incidence of accidents and injury from playing golf.
   Some of the following basic stretching positions recommended for back muscles can be routinely performed alone at home and before your next round of golf.
   You should feel comfortable as you’re stretching your muscles.  If you feel soreness in your back or legs, you may not have done the exercises correctly, or that particular standing position may not be appropriate for you. This is because certain exercise positions can be unsuitable for people with certain spinal disorders, such as degenerative diseases of the spine, intervertebral disc diseases, etc.  Therefore, it’s best to consult a physician or specialist if you have any questions.

Each stretching position requires slow steady stretching until you feel the muscle is fully extended.  Hold the position for 10 to 30 seconds, then repeat approximately 3 times for each position; 23 of these sets can be done daily.  Remember to inhale and exhale normally while exercising.  You should never hold your breath, as doing so will make you tire easily, especially for people with heart disease.
 
Position 1 – Stretching the Back Muscles
  Starting Position:   Lie on your back with both knees raised.  Use your hands to slowly pull both knees in close your chest at the same time until you feel your back muscles are taut.  Hold the position as you count from 1 to 10 and put your knees back down in place.
Position 2 – Stretching the Back Muscles
  Starting Position:    Lie face down with your hands on the floor, then use your hands to pull your body up with your pelvis on the floor.  Do this until your back and abdominal muscles feel taut, then hold the position as you count from 1 to 10 and lie down.
Position 3 – Stretching the Side Muscles
  Starting Position:  Stand up straight with your arms up above your head (see picture).  Turn the palms of your hands to the front and slowly lean to the side to as far as you can go and until you feel tightness at the side of your torso, arms and shoulders.  Hold the position and count from 1 to 10, then go back to your original position and do the same thing on the other side.
Position 4 - Lower Back Twist
 Starting Position:    Lie face up with your knees straight and your arms out straight at your sides, then slowly twist your hips as you bend your knees.  Slowly cross one leg over the other as you turn your head in the opposite direction until you feel tightness in your back, hips and thighs.   Hold the position as you count from 1 to 10, then move your legs back to their former position.  Do the same thing on both sides.
Position 5 – Always Warm Up Before the game
 Proper warming-up includes light exercise, such as brisk walking or jogging, for approximately 5 minutes to increase blood circulation. This warms the muscles up until they’re ready for work and won’t be torn as easily as when they’re cool and stiff.  Every warm-up should also include stretching the muscles to be used in playing golf, which should includes the shoulder, arm, hip and leg muscles in addition to the back muscles.

This position can help you to rotate your shoulders in a wider circle.  It’s been found wider swings are what allow Tiger Woods and John Daily to hit the ball farther than others.
  Remember that, prevention of golf injuries will fail to yield good results as long as you still have an inaccurate swing, which will have an impact on various joints, tendons and muscles in the body.  In this case, you should have your golf swing analyzed and fixed by a golf pro.  With our program of improving the physical performance of golfers, or golf fitness, we include stretching for all the various muscles involved, increase the strength of specific muscles used in golf, such the rotator cuff, lower arm, wrist, etc., along with aerobic exercise to improve your cardiovascular system for endurance.  All of these can help prevent injuries while knocking a few points off your golf game as well.

In addition, you can keep up-to-date about your golf fitness progress by taking a Physical Fitness Test for comparisons before and after practicing.

Stretching Positions for Preventing Golf-related Injuries
Position  1 Neck rotation
Position  2 Neck lateral flexion
Position  3 A. Neck flexion; B.  Neck extension  
Position  4 Lateral trunk bend
Position  5 Trunk, hip and chest stretch
Position  6 Back flexion/extension    
Position  7 Hip flexor stretch 
Position  8 Hamstring stretch    
Position  9 Posterior capsule stretch of             the shoulder
Positions for Building Muscular Strength and Endurance to Prevent Injuries and Increase Power in Playing Golf
Position 10 Neck extensors  
Position 11 Lower back extensors
Position 12 Partial sit-up   
Position 13 Diagonal partial sit-up
Position 14  A. Hip extension and abduction (harder version)
                  B. Hip extension and abduction (easier version)   
Position 15 Squats   
Position 16  A.  “Push-up plus” on hands and knees.
                   B.  Top of the push-up
Position 17 Horizontal rowing

If you’re interested in our Physical Fitness Test Program and improving your physical fitness as a golfer, you can ask for further details or advice at:

Physical  Medicine  and  Rehabilitation  Clinic 
Tel. 02-3789000  ext. 9086-7  (Srinakarin)
Tel.  02-7118000  ext.  8400    (Sukhumvit)