Anyone else experience back pain?

Andrew808

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I’m constantly fighting back pain and am getting pretty frustrated as I’m not that old (34). Currently am fighting a stinger/pinched nerve in my back that makes it hard to even turn.

What sucks is I have this whole month off from work and had planned to play 3-4x a week and to really focus and practice my weak areas, but can't because of this.

I’ve tried:
  • Going from a full swing to more of a 3/4 swing
  • Stretching/Doing yoga every day
  • Taking swings left handed sometimes - my thinking is that it would help balance out the stress from taking so many swings as a right-hander (No idea if this is beneficial at all, it just made sense to me)
  • Been spending time in the spa/sauna after I lift at the gym

Would really appreciate if anyone who experiences back pain has any suggestions on how they handle it (Sorry if this is not the right sub-forum for this)
 
Back pain ended my season this year in early October. I couldn't even tilt into address position it was so bad. After a round of steroids and rest what really helped was going to physical therapy. Aside from the actual massage, I learned some stretches that I hadn't been doing and the correct way to do them. Also, the electrical stimulation was so effective that I bought a portable unit to use at home. I have it on right now as I type this, really helps loosen up the muscles. Good luck!!! p.s. my back recovered so quickly(6 weeks) that I was able to get in a round of pain free golf last week!!!!
 
Yes and it can be frustrating/aggravating at times.
First thing I would suggest is to see a doctor for an evaluation to make sure you're not dealing with any structural damage.

I have a hip that comes out of place due to a car accident years back. When it does, all muscles up the right side of my back tense and go into spasm. I see a chiropractor for regular adjustments to make sure I'm in alignment. I also focus on stretching my hamstrings and hip flexors. When these are tight, it also promotes more back pain. The electro stim and heat/ice regimen help when things flare up, but they're only reactive, not proactive treatments.
I will add, these work for me, but may not be what will help you. Good Luck
 
You should see a good chiropractor, and do it regularly. I deal with back pain and that takes care of it for me.
 
yes, 62 yo but i walk and work out. 26 years Military work and I still work full time. LBP and i have a right side SI joint that gives me fits. Got rear ended about 3 weeks ago and i say that to say, i see a chiropractor regularly. Find a good one, mine also does acupuncture. Stamina Pro research it and search it on here, i am a believer.
I stretch WELL before any round and throughout the week before working out
 
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I have been dealing with a herniated and bulging disc in my back for more than 15 years. What I find most helpful is doing exercises, stretching and yoga.

I think it’s important to see a doctor to determine what is causing the problem and what can be done to address it.
 
2 years ago, had severe back spasms where I had to sleep sitting in a chair for 3 weeks, back spasms 24 X 7. Tried my reliable chiropractor who has done amazing work but in fact made it even worse. Went to a sports physiotherapist and what ultimately worked was traction and double the daily dose of ibuprofen, blessed y my MD. Took about 2 months to finally shed all the spasms but at least after 3 weeks I could lay down. I hope you find some relief and put it behind you.
 
I have degenerative disc disease in my L5 S1 and a pelvis that doesn't like what I did in a past life. I go to a chiropractor once a month to keep me aligned and per his advise, use an inversion table, which also helps.
 
I just turned 36 and have been dealing with lower back pain for the last couple of years. I've figured out that it's coming from my hip flexors. When I work out and do yoga it starts going away but when I'm lazy, like I have been lately, it starts flaring up again. The only solution for me is exercise and stretching.
 
Thanks everyone for the great advice. I never thought about going to a chiropractor and am going to look for a good one in my area, as well as possibly seeing a doctor to make sure I don’t have any major underlying issues. Also going to look into Stamina Pro.

I did get a massage on Friday. While it felt good at the time, I was in so much pain when I woke up Saturday morning I literally had to ask my wife to push me off the bed so I could get up! Never felt so old before haha
 
Chiropractor for severe pain and get on a regimen of Glucosamine every day and don't stop. I was getting quartazone shots every 6-8 months a few years back. Started taking Glucosamine (joint juice) and after 2-3 months, have never had a shot since. It was a life saver for me!
 
yup, best advice is to see a doctor. it'll only get worse if you try and work through it on your own...when I retired from active duty, my doc told me if I wouldn't have been hard headed, my body would be much nicer to me as my 50s are at the door....that asshole was right. so yeah, go see a doc...;)
 
Surely seeing a Chiro or Doctor is the best thing to start. Here's what I found that creates pain/stress in the lower back as a result of golf.

From the top, I tended to go from "0-100" in an instant, with an upper-body dominated shoulder swing which caused stress on my lower back due to the sudden violent twisting action. My left knee was also bending forward, or what I call "collapsing" at the top which resulted in my weight shifting to my left side (all these weird dynamics going on!). Then when the 0-100 swing started, my weight was shifting to my right because my left knee straightened too early because it "thought" my swing was "done" already, while my hands were too far behind my chest. To get the club through, I then had to pull my lower body in, which pushed the lower back backwards while trying to turn left. Ugh.

What I do much better now is I start the down swing with my lower body connected to the upper body in one rotation with the swing starting at what feels like a "snails pace" to allow my hands to fall more in front of my chest early. It is hard to do because I'm used to swinging fast too early. As for the start of the down swing, another fundamental change was to get my lower body activated to help get the club down into position in front of my chest. I do this by kinda squatting into the down swing and shifting my left knee towards the target as the first move. If I let my arms relax, and stay reasonably connected, it's surprising how far the club handle comes down during the squat into the shot move. In reality, none of this is new in terms of swinging a club, but it wasn't until I really thought about all this that I discovered the stress causes on my lower back. I guess my over-arching point is I want my lower back moving in rotation back and rotation down, and I want my hands in front of my chest during the swing because that's where they want to be naturally.
 
I would say to start with a doctor, before a chiropractor, to get a diagnosis of what the actual problem is. Depending on what kind of chiropractor you end up with, they could do great, do nothing or do more damage. It could be nerve/disc or musculoskeletal. Or you could have both problems in different areas like me, and just be a mess all the time.
 
Yoga and back exercise do wonders for my back. I have to do yoga at least 2x a week. Heck the stretching also adds a few more yards to my game. Hope you feel better soon.
 
yes, but we need to be more specific where and learn what triggers it. The golf swing for example does not trigger it for me. bending over to get my ball is another story. I'd recommend a DR then a physical therapist. I have never tried a chiropractor as I'm a bit scared of a cure that is worse then the problem

My story- Lifting weights from time I was 12. Sports my life. By time I was 30 I started to have bad lower back pain that put my on the sideline. now I'm 53 and it rarely keeps me on sideline. I use an inversion table. I do yoga. I lift weights and work on my core. When I feel my back pass a threshold of tightness I start naproxin. I understand that the bending I just did washing 2 cars could be an issue and I'm chilling on any bending for remainder of day.

sometimes all the consideration in the world and the back goes wrong. Nothing like naproxin to help me recover in about 5 days. Again, see your Dr to determine cause
 
Chiropractor for severe pain and get on a regimen of Glucosamine every day and don't stop. I was getting quartazone shots every 6-8 months a few years back. Started taking Glucosamine (joint juice) and after 2-3 months, have never had a shot since. It was a life saver for me!
I like your suggestion of taking glucosamine. Will definitely try this, thanks
 
Surely seeing a Chiro or Doctor is the best thing to start. Here's what I found that creates pain/stress in the lower back as a result of golf.

From the top, I tended to go from "0-100" in an instant, with an upper-body dominated shoulder swing which caused stress on my lower back due to the sudden violent twisting action. My left knee was also bending forward, or what I call "collapsing" at the top which resulted in my weight shifting to my left side (all these weird dynamics going on!). Then when the 0-100 swing started, my weight was shifting to my right because my left knee straightened too early because it "thought" my swing was "done" already, while my hands were too far behind my chest. To get the club through, I then had to pull my lower body in, which pushed the lower back backwards while trying to turn left. Ugh.

What I do much better now is I start the down swing with my lower body connected to the upper body in one rotation with the swing starting at what feels like a "snails pace" to allow my hands to fall more in front of my chest early. It is hard to do because I'm used to swinging fast too early. As for the start of the down swing, another fundamental change was to get my lower body activated to help get the club down into position in front of my chest. I do this by kinda squatting into the down swing and shifting my left knee towards the target as the first move. If I let my arms relax, and stay reasonably connected, it's surprising how far the club handle comes down during the squat into the shot move. In reality, none of this is new in terms of swinging a club, but it wasn't until I really thought about all this that I discovered the stress causes on my lower back. I guess my over-arching point is I want my lower back moving in rotation back and rotation down, and I want my hands in front of my chest during the swing because that's where they want to be naturally.
Thanks for this detailed description, definitely appreciate it
 
yes, but we need to be more specific where and learn what triggers it. The golf swing for example does not trigger it for me. bending over to get my ball is another story. I'd recommend a DR then a physical therapist. I have never tried a chiropractor as I'm a bit scared of a cure that is worse then the problem
I think I just tend to overdo it: like if I have a day off work, I’ll play 36 to get as much golf in as I can. Last week, I played 36 on Monday and Wednesday and my back just wasn’t having it. I also get back twinges when I take a full swing so have changed to a 3/4 swing, and that seems to help as well.

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions. I’m definitely going to go see a doctor and will keep doing stretches, yoga, etc
 
Thanks everyone for all your suggestions. I’m definitely going to go see a doctor and will keep doing stretches, yoga, etc

One thing my doctor and physical therapist told me was to warm my back up with light motion as opposed to stretching which can aggravate it... So I'd take it easy on that as well till you've seen a doc
 
One thing my doctor and physical therapist told me was to warm my back up with light motion as opposed to stretching which can aggravate it... So I'd take it easy on that as well till you've seen a doc
Ok thank you. Would you mind explaining what you mean by "light motion"? Like just gently swinging my arms and twisting my hips?
 
One thing my doctor and physical therapist told me was to warm my back up with light motion as opposed to stretching which can aggravate it... So I'd take it easy on that as well till you've seen a doc

Good point...you have to warm up the muscles before stretching especially since in our rush to want to hit balls, we sometimes overstretch which is not good.
 
Ok thank you. Would you mind explaining what you mean by "light motion"? Like just gently swinging my arms and twisting my hips?

That's the gist of what they told me...nothing "strenuous" or "aggressive"... Just easy motion to loosen up.
 
I’m sure most everyone at one time or another deal with back pain. I’ve had issues for 30 years. I found a good chiropractor has been very helpful. Once I learned what caused my issue I could put together a plan to fix it.

Over the last 15 years I’ve had a pretty good hold on it. Not many issues and when I do I listen to it. Best to try and fix it before it’s to late. Core strength really helps. For me lat pull downs have been phenomenal. Not only for strength but stretching as well. The key is not over doing it, any of it. Golf, working out, or relaxing. Find a balance and find what works for you.

I had to start hitting smaller buckets because it was straining by back rotational wise. I can’t seem to take enough time in between shots so a smaller bucket works for me. Also a good chiropractor will give you stretches to do for your issues. A good chiropractor will not need to see you multiple times a week. These days I see mine about 2 times a year.
 
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