Is your back bothering your game?
Is your back pain taking away from your swing or keeping you out of the game altogether?
You are not alone.
A study from 2014 stated, "studies have shown that lower back pain (LBP) from golf accounts for between 18% and 54% of all documented ailments, leading researchers to consider the condition the most common golf injury."
It also went on to say,
"Some factors include swing flaws leading to excessive side-bend and over-rotation of the spine, abnormal muscle recruitment, poor trunk endurance, restricted lead hip internal rotation, and unnecessarily stressful club transportation methods."
A 2016 study of tennis players with and without low back pain found,
"Symptomatic players show lower activation of extensor muscles, less co-contraction patterns, and less abdominal endurance."
Often, when folks read or hear less endurance or less contraction, they immediately think I must make those muscles stronger. While this is partly true, it is not the first thing to address.
When we have pain, especially low back pain, it starts to shut down a group of muscles we hear little about training, yet, these muscles have an essential job, they stabilize our spine while we move.
To recover long-term from back pain, we need to balance our large, superficial muscles that we can see and feel in our back and abdomen with our smaller, deeper muscles we cannot see or maybe even feel.
Once we re-establish this balance, all the muscles in our back and core will have more endurance and work more efficiently and effectively while likely providing you with more mobility and range of motion.
The best way to create a balance between your muscle systems is:
- Improve spinal alignment.
- Establish optimal three-dimensional breathing.
- Control each of these with the right muscular effort for each chosen activity.
You might be thinking, ok, but how do I do that?
I am going to be transparent. It is not as easy as we would like it to be and I do not recommend trying to Google how to do it. Most traditional training programs for low back pain encourage strengthening the back and core muscles. And if you work out regularly, you likely do this as part of your program. These programs do not address the deeper muscles that stabilize your core and spine.
Click below and follow along to start receiving the benefits of addressing the deeper muscles through alignment and three-dimensional breathing. (link: https://youtu.be/dvh-EkN4_6s)
Will these results last, you might ask?
Yes, when followed, applied, and practiced consistently.
If you have been struggling with nagging back tightness or discomfort, listen to your body and commit to taking care of yourself versus working through it, as this rarely makes it better.
Reach out and let us design a program for you to improve spinal alignment and three-dimensional breathing to balance your deep and superficial muscles so you can efficiently and effectively participate in the activities that you need, want, and love to do ASAP!
