Playing golf with back pain

[Scott M]

I'm 50 years old and have been playing golf seriously for about 5-6 years and my handicap dipped down to the low single digits. I seemed to have torn a ligament in my SI Joint (3 different doctors aren't totally sure but believe this is the case) in November 2022 that took months to heal.  My X-Rays and MRI show that I have moderate degenerative disc disease, mild foraminal stenosis, and mild facet arthropathy/arthritis. I have mild low back pain but the facet arthritis is what I worry about the most. I've read that golf and yoga aren't the `best with facet problems and all 3 doctors gave me different recommendations (Don't play. You should be fine. Let pain be my guide). Is anyone playing with facet arthritis and do you find that golf aggravates it or has golf progressively made it worse? I don't want to give up golf but I'm willing to in order to maintain, or extend, quality of life. Normally, you want to keep moving with arthritis, but I've heard that twisting motions will aggravate facet conditions.

[RickyBobby_PR]

Find a TPI medical professional and talk to them. 

[Siamese Moose]

I have facet arthritis and have had surgery for foraminal stenosis. I'm afraid that I can't give you too much positive feedback, except to say that I can play, and golf does not make it worse.

I do a regular (5x/week) back program that takes about 45 minutes. It's a combination of many things, developed primarily by a physical therapist a few years ago, and augmented by things I've found that work for me. It includes some traditional exercises (esp. the McGill "Big 3"), some stretching, some yoga, and some pilates. I do a lot of bicycling (including racing), and that is probably my limiting activity. Every so often I have a flare up, and it takes a month or two to get it to fully calm down. (Amazingly, that had always happened in the winter, so minimal effect on my playing time.) During that time I have to limit time on the bike, but I can usually play just fine. Golf, especially a lot in a short time, makes me a bit sore, but that's usually a short lived issue. I am notorious in my league for doing stretches on the tee box, esp. child's pose. Walking the course is far better for me. Besides walking being an exercise that gives me relief anyway, when in a cart every time we hit a bump I feel some pain. When it's severe I experience numbness and even loss of control in my left foot. That's when I go in for professional help. About every third year I end up with an epidural steroid injection, and that doctor tells me I can plan on that every two to five years for the rest of my life.

[Scott M]

@RickyBobby_PR - Good idea. I was surprised how many TPIs there are. They seem to be everywhere

@Siamese Moose - Thanks for sharing this info. I am doing the McGill Big 3 as well and I just ordered his Back Mechanic book so that should be an interesting read. Most of my pain is felt in my left glute but we don't know if it is Sciatica or a muscle strain from all the physical therapy. After stopping the PT, the spasms and intense pain has subsided but the there is still pain and tightness in the area. 

I'm sure a lot of golfers play with back pain/ Sciatica and I am just curious what everyone's experience is like because golf is just too damn fun to let go.

[RickyBobby_PR]

5 minutes ago, Scott M said:

@RickyBobby_PR - Good idea. I was surprised how many TPIs there are. They seem to be everywhere

@Siamese Moose - Thanks for sharing this info. I am doing the McGill Big 3 as well and I just ordered his Back Mechanic book so that should be an interesting read. Most of my pain is felt in my left glute but we don't know if it is Sciatica or a muscle strain from all the physical therapy. After stopping the PT, the spasms and intense pain has subsided but the there is still pain and tightness in the area. 

I'm sure a lot of golfers play with back pain/ Sciatica and I am just curious what everyone's experience is like because golf is just too damn fun to let go.

There are and it’s a good thing. Having professionals in golf that have more biomechanical knowledge and being able to help golfers play their best within their limitations is good.

In the fitness world many of us look for medical professionals who also lift because they understand the aspect of lifting better and that there are ways to train while dealing with an injury or other medical issue rather than just the stop lifting for X period of time or stop lifting in general.

TPI medical professionals are going to be able to help you and if you can find a tpi golf instructor to work with on developing a swing that lets you play your best under the situation that’s a bonus