By Vanessa Gillis
They say golf is a young man’s sport, but the incessant back injuries can leave you feeling a little worse for wear. A recent study found that 60 per cent of professional golfers and 40 per cent of amateur golfers suffer an injury at some point during every season. Back injuries are most common among amateur golfers because they don’t play as often and often don’t warm up, making them more prone to pulling muscles in their back, according to Dr. Angela Canada, chiropractor and owner of Canada Chiropractic in Salt Lake City, Utah. “Most low back injuries are due to lack of lumbar curve or the golfer flexing with the lumbar spine instead of flexing at the hip joint,” she explains. “This puts extra stress on the disc and connective tissues of the lumbar spine.”
The Plane Truth
Todd Graves, co-founder of the Graves Golf Academy and author of The Single Plane Golf Swing: Play Better Golf the Moe Norman Way, says that the conventional golf swing is to blame for many of these back injuries. “Because of where the golf swing sets up [with the conventional swing], it creates a twisting and lifting movement, so it adds compression to the spine,” he shares.
With a one-plane swing, however, there is much less movement in the spine because the golfer’s arms and club shaft are aligned, creating a single plane that adds the proper space between the golfer and the ball. “When the player swings the club, they don’t have to lift their spine, the shaft doesn’t lift, and it doesn’t put any stress on the back because the golfers don’t have to create room between themselves and the ball.”
“Biomechanically, the single-plane swing is easier on the body because it requires less lateral bend than the two-plane swing,” Dr. Canada explains. “The downside is that it requires the golfer to stand further away from the ball and bend forward, so if they are not using neutral pelvis movements and hinging at the hips, it can put them at increased risk of injury.”
Play More, Hurt Less
Whether you’re just playing a round with the boys on a lazy Sunday morning or participating in a tournament, Dr. Canada advises that the best way to prevent injuries is to warm up before golfing by stretching and doing some light cardio. This gets blood flowing to all of the joints in your body and reduces the risk of injury.
She also recommends seeing a chiropractor regularly (once a week for avid golfers, and once every four to six weeks for casual golfers), as this can help players increase their swing speed and improve their performance through flexibility and strengthening exercises.