Tips For Helping You Avoid Back Injuries While Playing Golf

Pain in your back can cause you to feel bad all over, especially when you lose some of your mobility and are unable to stand up straight. For golf players, the risk of serious back injuries is greater than you may think. Learning more about how you can avoid injuring your back on the course is important for getting most out of your game and being in good shape to brag about your eagle shot or hole-in-one later on.

Not Just Any Old Warm-Up Will Do

Taking the time to do a complete set of warm-up exercises before you start swinging the irons can help prepare your body for a rigorous game. Walking briskly around the parking lot of the clubhouse is one of the best ways to start your warm-up routine. Other warm-up exercises that are specific to the game of golf include:

• Arms and hands: Loosening your wrists is vital for you to have the best swing. Stretch out your arm, left or right, and use your other hand to push down your fingers down towards your wrist. Hold for a moment and then pull the fingers on that same hand backwards, towards the top of your arm. Hold this stretch for a moment. Repeat this same stretching exercise on the other hand and arm.
• Touch toes: Touch toes exercises can help to strengthen your lower back and get the blood circulation flowing better to your back and leg muscles. Stand with your legs apart, each foot in alignment with your shoulders. Take your right hand and bend over to touch your left toes. Do the same with your left hand to your right toes. This exercise is a great way to loosen up before starting the first nine.
• Club swings: Take two golf clubs, preferably a putter and a smaller iron because they are about the same weight, and swing them like you were hitting a ball off the tee. Doing this repetition with a club in each hand helps to loosen up your upper shoulders and back before you get on the tee. Warming up before you take the first swing of your game can help you avoid unnecessary hooks and slices that sometimes happen because of your muscles being tense.

Warming up before you get on the course is a good way to play your best while also avoiding the back injury that would keep you at home and not playing until it is healed. Always remember, when lifting your golf bag or stooping over to pick up a ball in the rough, pay attention to your back. Some back injuries can be serious and cause a great deal of pain, but getting them could be as simple as bending or twisting the wrong way. Warming up before you start playing is the best way to avoid suffering chronic back pain from a golf-related injury.