During a golf swing, your body undergoes high rotational forces in one direction.
Why does my lower back hurt after golf?
From my reel
That's where I start. The line above is from my reel, and so is the question at the top of this page: lower back sore after a round of golf? You may need to train opposite side rotation.
“May” is deliberate. A web page can't tell you why your own back hurts; that takes looking at how you move.
What does training the opposite side do for your back?
My reel calls training anti-rotation and counter-rotation on both sides essential for peak golf performance and injury prevention. For your back, the reason is the first one it gives:
- Reduces injury risk: it balances load distribution across the hips, core, and spine to prevent asymmetrical stress.
The same review of golf-related low back pain suggests that “all golfers should be encouraged to take warm-up or practice swings both left and right handed.” (Lindsay & Vandervoort, Asian Journal of Sports Medicine, 2014)
The reel's other two reasons, speed and joint mobility, and commonly recommended exercises are on golf rotation exercises for both sides of your swing.
When is a sore back after golf more than soreness?
The signs that need a medical doctor first are listed on Dr. Abby's page, when to see a doctor instead of a chiropractor for lower back pain.
How is this different from a general lower back pain visit?
Our main chiropractor for lower back pain page is written for every kind of lower back: the desk back, the gym tweak, the one that never quite leaves. This page is for one kind: the back that's sore after golf.
I see patients at our Islandia office. Call or text 631-212-2996 and say it's your back after golf. For more on how I work with golfers, see my TPI Certified golf page.