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Have a Low Back Golf Problem?
I received an e-mail question from one our BioForce golf subscribers. This BioForce Faithful is a recreational golfer, a “mature” friend of ours, and suffering from lower back disc problems. The problems with his lower back discs do not appear to be to the point of requiring surgery. I am guessing they are degenerating or bulging to some point.
His question to me was; “Would someone like me benefit from your lower back exercises, or would they exacerbate the problem?”
My answer is a resounding yes, you will benefit. The lower back exercises in my book Your Body & Your Swing has two stated goals. They are injury prevention and performance improvement, injury prevention being the foremost goal and performance enhancement the second. Realize if you are injured, the ability to play golf is hindered significantly, that is why my motto with any individual I work with centers around injury prevention first and performance improvement second.
Let me explain how these lower back exercises can assist you. The lower back is comprised of numerous muscles, skeletal structures, and fibrous structures. The fibrous structures are in the form of discs and other types of cartilage. Injuries to the body have what I call a “three tier effect”. If the body is overstressed by any activity, be it swinging a golf club, lifting objects, or even typing on a computer. The overload on the body (amount of work performed by the body) will affect the muscular system first. This can be in the form of muscle soreness, tightness, or a slight pull. If I lift heavy of objects or swing the club to many times, my muscles are the “first line of defense” to injury.
If I continue to perform this high workload level and ignore what my muscles are telling me. The “second line of defense” is my cartilage and ligament structures (i.e. disc in the lower back). Indicators of injury to these structures are inflammation, tears, or bulging of a lower back discs. Finally, if the workloads still continue at a high level, without any intervention, the skeletal structure will be affected. This can be seen in the formation of bone spurs or even the breaking of a bone. An example of such situations is the formation of bone spurs commonly found in a pitcher’s elbow, or the degeneration of lower back structures in a golfer.
To remove yourself from this injury cycle or assist in the rehabilitation of a current situation I suggest intervention with pre-habilitation exercises. Pre-habilitation exercises develop high levels of muscular strength and endurance to “handle” the workloads placed upon the body. This assists in preventing any type of injury cycle even beginning.
Now, if you are an individual that is already “walking down the path” of a debilitating injury. Our goal is to reverse the cycle. The cycle can be reverse by unloading the skeletal and ligament structures, and placing the loads onto your muscular structure. Let me explain using the example of our BioForce Golf subscriber. Currently he is in a situation where his muscular structures are “overloaded” and his discs are taking the brunt of the work, he is performing on a daily basis. Our goal with this individual would be to implement a series of exercises that would strengthen the muscles of the lower back, resulting in the stresses being taken away from the discs, and placed upon on all the muscles surrounding the discs.
This would over time alleviate the current situation and decrease the probability of any future problems. In a nutshell, to prevent injury, you must develop a muscular structure that can handle the workloads placed upon it in your daily life. If you are an avid golfer then I would strongly suggest the implementation of a golf fitness program. This will assist in the prevention of an injury resulting from the stresses placed upon it by the golf swing. Secondarily it will improve your performance on the course.
Keep Training Like a Champion!
Sean
P.S. If you would like a easy to perform exercise routine for the low back, check out our 14 Days to a Stronger More Flexible Lower Back DVD.
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