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I Have a Lower Back Strain and My Lower Back Feels Stiff When I Play Golf

When you have a lower back strain, your lower back may feel stiff and restricted during your golf swing because repeated bending and rotation keep stressing the strained area.

Quick Answer:
Your lower back feels stiff when you play golf because the strained area is being repeatedly used during your swings, especially with bending and rotation. As the round continues, the muscles around your lower back can become tired and tighten, making your back feel restricted or harder to move comfortably.

If you already have a lower back strain, playing golf can keep asking the injured area to work through repeated swings, setup positions, and changes in posture. The muscles and ligaments around your lower back may become irritated when you repeatedly bend, rotate, and straighten during a round, which can make the area feel noticeably tighter than it does during normal daily movement.

A strained lower back can also lose some of its normal ease of movement while it is recovering. When you continue playing golf, that restriction can make each swing feel less comfortable and cause the surrounding muscles to work harder than usual, especially when you play several holes without much time for the area to relax.

The First Few Swings Put Extra Stress On Your Lower Back

Your lower back may feel stiff because each golf swing repeatedly asks the strained area to bend and rotate.

During your swing, your lower back moves as you turn your body and shift between the backswing and follow-through. If the area is already strained, those repeated movements can aggravate the muscles and ligaments around your lower back and make stiffness more noticeable each time you swing.

The Stiffness Builds As Your Golf Round Continues

Repeated swings can make your lower back tighten more as fatigue builds.

As you continue playing, the muscles around your lower back may become tired and less comfortable with repeated movement. That fatigue can make the stiffness more obvious later in the round, particularly when you have taken dozens of swings and repeatedly bent over to address the ball.

Why Your Lower Back Stays Stiff During Golf

Your lower back has a hard time healing when blood flow and circulation are limited.

Tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues naturally receive less blood supply than many other parts of the body. Because of this, they often take longer to heal after repeated stress or injury, leaving you more vulnerable to lingering pain and a cycle of reinjury.

When circulation through the area remains limited, injured tissues have a harder time receiving the vital oxygen and nutrients they need to repair and heal. This can leave your lower back feeling stiff, tight, weak, or painful during everyday movement and activity.

What Can Help Your Lower Back Feel Better

Your lower back starts feeling better when blood flow and circulation improve.

Chinese herbs have been used for centuries to promote healthy blood flow and circulation. Their medicinal properties help break up stagnant blood and fluids that remain trapped around injured tissues, interfering with circulation. As circulation improves, blood flows more freely through the area, allowing those tissues to receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to heal properly.

Topical herbal remedies made with these Chinese herbs can help relieve pain while improving blood flow and circulation to injured tissues. The right product depends on your symptoms and whether you're in the acute or chronic stage of recovery.

If you have pain, swelling, inflammation, or bruising, Acute Sinew Liniment helps relieve these symptoms by increasing circulation and dispersing stagnant blood and fluids around the injured area to speed recovery. During the acute stage of healing, getting circulation moving early allows injured tissues to receive the fresh blood, oxygen, and nutrients they need to repair and heal.

If your injured area is especially swollen, red, or warm to the touch after a recent injury or flare-up, Sinew Herbal Ice is also used to reduce swelling and inflammation while restoring normal circulation so you can quickly regain range of motion. While traditional ice is commonly used to reduce swelling, Sinew Herbal Ice acts as an ice alternative to reduce swelling and inflammation while also dispersing accumulated blood and fluids to speed the healing process.

If you no longer have swelling or inflammation, but still have pain, stiffness, weakness, or sensitivity in cold and damp weather, Chronic Sinew Liniment helps relieve these symptoms by strongly stimulating circulation and increasing blood supply to injured tendons and ligaments to promote their healing. This is especially important because tendons and ligaments naturally receive less blood supply, which is why chronic injuries can take longer to heal.

If you have residual pain and stiffness, or the area becomes more painful in cold weather, Sinew Injury Poultice is also used to significantly stimulate circulation to injured tendons and ligaments to further promote their healing. By strongly increasing circulation, it counteracts the reduced blood flow caused by cold weather that commonly aggravates chronic tendon and ligament injuries.

If you exercise, play sports, or do other strenuous activities, Sinew Sports Massage Oil warms and stimulates muscles for exertion and relieves muscle tightness and soreness after activity. Warming and preparing your muscles before activity can improve flexibility, enhance performance, and reduce the risk of injury.

Frequently Asked Questions

You may also find these commonly asked questions helpful.

Why does my lower back feel stiff when I play golf?

Your lower back may feel stiff during golf because a strained area is repeatedly stressed by bending and rotating during your swings.

Can I play golf with a lower back strain?

Playing golf can continue to stress a strained lower back, especially when swinging or bending makes your stiffness or pain worse.

Why does my lower back get stiffer during a round of golf?

Your lower back may become stiffer as repeated swings and bending fatigue the muscles around an already strained area.

Why does my lower back feel tight after golfing?

Your lower back may feel tighter afterward because the muscles around the strained area have been repeatedly working throughout the round.

When should I have my lower back strain checked?

Persistent, severe, or worsening lower back symptoms should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional.

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• Acute Sinew Liniment — Used when pain, swelling, and inflammation are present to relieve pain, reduce swelling and inflammation, and increase blood flow and circulation to injured tissues.

• Sinew Herbal Ice — Used when the injured area is especially swollen, red, or warm to the touch to reduce swelling and inflammation while restoring normal circulation and range of motion.

• Chronic Sinew Liniment — Used for pain and stiffness after swelling and inflammation are gone to relieve pain, strongly stimulate circulation, and promote the healing of injured tendons and ligaments.

• Sinew Injury Poultice — Used for chronic tendon and ligament injuries to significantly stimulate circulation and promote deeper tissue recovery.

• Sinew Sports Massage Oil — Used before or after activity to warm and stimulate muscles, increase circulation, relieve tightness, and improve flexibility in muscles and joints.

The information provided here is intended to help you better understand your symptoms and recovery, but it is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Persistent, severe, or worsening symptoms should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional.