With golf season in effect, Activa recommends that you take care in gentle exercises and stretching to prevent golf injury. If you are experiencing low back pain from a recent round of golf, it is not advisable to stress inflamed muscles by continuing to play golf.
Taking some time off from golf will allow your muscles to heal faster, as will applying heat or ice to your lower back and ibuprofen to decrease inflammation and help with your recovery.
Gentle Exercise for Low Back Pain
Stretching between golf rounds is advisable, alongside low-impact aerobic exercise such as walking for 30-40 minutes every second day. After your low back pain has resolved, slowly return to playing golf and practice prevention tips to help avoid future episodes. A routine of stretching and low-impact exercise is important for maintaining your ability to play golf.
Stretching and maintaining flexibility is especially important among individuals who experience low back pain to prevent further injury or muscle strain from golf. Those who experience chronic low back pain tend to lose flexibility, therefore a daily stretching program is crucial to maintain flexibility and prevent low back pain.
Maintaining good aerobic condition helps to reduce discomfort so you can continually enjoy golf. Walking and stationary biking are both low-impact aerobic conditioning exercises three times a week at 30-40 minute intervals are gentle on your back therefore recommended for golfers with low back pain.
Low Back Pain from Golf Among Elder Golfers
As golfers continue to play as they age, most expect to be able to continue to play throughout their retirement years. Some elderly golfers develop conditions which make it difficult to walk long distances on the golf course. For individuals who have difficulty walking around the golf course due to pain, a golf cart can provide needed support. An alternative for aerobic conditioning to walking the golf course is stationary biking.
Elder golfers are generally less likely to develop low back pain from their golf swing as they are usually not in the stage of developing their swing. Sometimes, a modification of the golf swing is necessary for the injured or elderly golfer, comprised of a relaxed posture, shorter back swing, increased hand action and a shorter finish.
Contact Activa if you need relief from a golf injury or would like to review stretches to prevent low back pain on the golf course.