I Have Lower Back Pain When I Golf and It Gets Worse the Longer I Play

Lower back pain when you golf that gets worse the longer you play can start as a mild ache or tightness and become more painful as repeated swings fatigue the muscles around your lower back.

If your lower back feels reasonably comfortable at the beginning of a round but becomes more painful as you keep playing, the repeated demands of your golf swing are an important part of the pattern. Your lower back works through repeated bending and rotation while you swing, and that ongoing demand can become harder to tolerate as the muscles around your spine become tired.

Fatigue can change how comfortably your lower back moves as the round continues. An area that feels fine during your first few holes may start feeling tight or sore later, especially when you repeatedly rotate through the ball or bend forward to address it.

The Repeated Golf Swing Tires Your Lower Back

Your lower back has to keep rotating and moving through the swing over and over.

During a golf swing, your lower back works with your hips and upper body as you turn into the backswing and then rotate toward the finish. When you repeat that movement many times, the muscles around your lower back can become fatigued and less able to handle the same motion comfortably.

The Pain Builds As Your Round Continues

Later swings can feel worse because fatigue changes how much your lower back can comfortably handle.

As you move from hole to hole, the repeated swings give your lower back very little opportunity to stop working. Once the muscles become tired, the same movement that felt manageable earlier can start bringing on more pain, particularly toward the later part of your round.

Why Your Lower Back Pain Gets Worse

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 pain get worse the longer I golf?

Your lower back muscles can become fatigued from repeated swinging, making the same movements increasingly painful as your round continues.

Why does my lower back hurt more during the later holes?

Repeated swings can leave the muscles around your lower back tired, so the pain may become more noticeable later in your round.

Can golf swings cause lower back pain to increase?

Yes. Repeated bending and rotation during the golf swing can aggravate an already painful or strained lower back.

Why does my lower back feel fine at first but hurt later when I golf?

Your lower back may tolerate the first swings well but become increasingly uncomfortable as repeated movement causes fatigue.

What should I do if my lower back pain keeps getting worse while golfing?

Stop or reduce the activity that aggravates your pain and have persistent, severe, or worsening symptoms evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional.

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.