Golf is one of the most popular sports around the world and it is a great hobby that comes with a wide range of health benefits. However, most golfers, doesn’t matter if they are beginner or professional golfers will develop back pain at some point due to the repetitive and forceful golf swinging. During each golf swing, the golfer needs to rotate, extend and bend their spine laterally, which could exert extreme amount of compressive force on the spine. On average, a golfer will make approximately 50 to 70 swings every five minutes in an 18 holes game with each swing reaching between 125 km/h to 160 km/h. An average golfer will typically do this for hours and it can really pose significant stress on the golfer’s body, especially their back.
Chiropractic care is a great way to manage back pain.
There are three main causes that can result in injury to the back while playing golf: lack of flexibility, poor swing mechanics and poor posture.
Lack of flexibility
Golfers need to have a flexible spine in order to perform a good golf swing and prevent back pain. To restore the flexibility of their spine, our chiropractors at Lakeside Chiropractic can help by providing some soft tissue therapy and a personalised stretching program based on the location of stiffness and its severity. Our flexion distraction techniques will also improve flexibility and reduce pressure on spinal discs and joints.
Poor Swing Mechanics
Generally, the golf swing mechanics can be broken down into five stages: takeaway, backswing, transition, downswing through impact and follow through. A good swing mechanics will be a smooth, fluid and continuous motion. Most often, physical restriction or mechanical dysfunction can result in poor swing mechanics, thus affecting a golfer’s performance, as well as putting more stress on their back and causes pain. Fortunately, chiropractic care will be able to manage them by performing variety of treatment ranging from chiropractic adjustment to strengthening exercises to restore both physical restriction and mechanical dysfunction.
Poor Posture
Having a good posture is one of the most crucial element when it comes to protecting your back. With an awkward or poor posture while playing golf can pose significant stress on your back and eventually lead to pain. A chiropractor can give you some advices on how to achieve a better posture and maintain it during a swing.
At Lakeside Chiropractic, out trained professionals will provide all the care you need and aim to reduce your risk of hurting your back and get you back into golf as soon as possible. We get to the cause of the problem to correct any underlying problems. Lakeside Chiropractic is located in Joondalup, central to Perth’s Northern Suburbs. We have many visitors from various surrounding suburbs including Kingsley, Wanneroo, Burns Beach, Kallaroo, Beldon, Heathridge, Greenwood and North Beach. We also have on site HICAPS Facilities for all major health insurance providers in addition to being a Medibank Preferred Practitioner and BUPA first provider. We also accept Medicare referrals from General Practitioners. If you are in need of any further information or wish to book an appointment please give us a call on 9300 0095 or check out our website at www.lakesidechiro.com.au.
