| Are you an individual who is suffering from a lower | | | | strongly suggest seeking counsel of a physician. |
| back injury? | | | | Finally, if the workloads still continue at a high level, |
| Is your lower back stiff and sore when you get out of | | | | without any intervention, the skeletal structure will be |
| bed in the morning? Or, heaven forbid, are you one of | | | | affected. This can be in the formation of bone spurs |
| many individuals that has undergone back surgery? | | | | or stress fractures. |
| Probably everyone reading this article has experienced | | | | An example of such a situation is the formation of |
| a lower back problem at some time or another in their | | | | bone spurs commonly found in a pitcher's elbow or the |
| lives. They are no fun, can be very debilitating, and | | | | degeneration of lower back structures in a golfer. |
| when it comes to golf, they certainly won't help lower | | | | To stop this injury cycle, or help in the rehabilitation of a |
| your handicap or drive the ball 300 yards. | | | | current problem, I strongly suggested you first seek |
| I would like to share with you an e-mail question that I | | | | professional medical attention. This will assist in the |
| received from my website Our BioForce Golf family | | | | diagnosis and proper treatment of the injury. |
| member stated: "I am a 'mature' individual and suffering | | | | Exercises can help rehab a golfer in such situations if |
| from lower back disc problems. They are not to the | | | | implemented correctly and under supervision of a |
| point that requires surgery, but they do limit my ability | | | | qualified individual. |
| to play golf." His e-mail continued to describe his lower | | | | The best way to prevent an injury is to Prehab. |
| back issues and ended with a question: "Would | | | | Prehab exercises, as they are often called, develop |
| someone like me benefit from your lower back | | | | high levels of muscular strength and endurance to |
| exercises, or would they exacerbate the problem?" | | | | "handle" the workloads placed upon the body. This can |
| Before answering this gentleman's question, let me | | | | assist in preventing an injury that begins the cycle |
| give you a little background information. BioForce Golf | | | | described above. |
| has a golf fitness manual available titled Your Body & | | | | Now, if you are a golfer that is already "walking down |
| Your Swing. In this manual, there are many exercises | | | | the path" of a debilitating injury, our goal is to help you |
| to assist in improving your golf game. | | | | reverse the cycle. |
| Two stated goals exist for the exercises in this | | | | Again, seek professional medical attention and be |
| program number one is injury prevention, and number | | | | under supervision throughout the process if you have |
| two is performance improvement. Fairly | | | | suffered a problem. If you are starting a new golf |
| self-explanatory in terms of their stated goals. Realize | | | | fitness program to help with your prehab, seek |
| even the slightest injury will hurt your golf performance | | | | professional guidance to help minimize the risk of injury. |
| significantly. | | | | The cycle can be reversed by unloading the skeletal |
| I replied to this e-mail with a resounding "yes." | | | | and ligament structures and placing the loads upon the |
| The exercises in our program will help you with this | | | | muscular structure. Let me explain using the example |
| type of low back disc problem. | | | | from above. |
| Let me explain how exercises for the lower back can | | | | For example, if a person is in a situation where his |
| assist you. | | | | muscular structures are "overloaded" and his discs are |
| The lower back is comprised of countless muscles, | | | | taking the brunt of the work, every time he swings a |
| skeletal structures, and fibrous structures. The fibrous | | | | club, bends over to line up his putt, or picks up his ball, |
| structures are in the form of discs and other types of | | | | the discs are screaming "ouch!" My goal, if I were his |
| cartilage. Injuries to the body have what I call a "three | | | | trainer, would be to start a series of exercises that |
| tier effect." If the body is overstressed by any activity | | | | would strengthen the muscles of the lower back, |
| like swinging a golf club, lifting heavy boxes, or even | | | | resulting in the stresses being taken away from the |
| typing on a computer, the overload on the body | | | | discs. Once the muscles are strong and have high |
| (amount of work performed by the body) will affect | | | | levels of endurance, they can handle the "workloads" |
| the muscular system first. This can be in the form of | | | | placed upon the body during golf or any activity! |
| muscle soreness, tightness, or a slight pull. If I lift too | | | | Over time, the exercises would alleviate the stress on |
| many heavy boxes or swing a club too many times, | | | | the discs, get this individual out of "pain," and restore |
| my muscles are the "first line of defense" to injury. | | | | them to a higher level of activity. |
| If I continue to perform this high workload level and | | | | In a nutshell, to prevent injury you must develop the |
| ignore what my muscles are telling me, my second line | | | | muscular strength and endurance to handle the |
| of defense kicks in. | | | | workloads placed upon your body everyday. If you |
| The "second line of defense" is my cartilage and | | | | are an avid golfer then I would strongly suggest |
| ligament structures (i.e. discs in the lower back). | | | | starting a golf-specific fitness program. This will help |
| How do you know if you are suffering from a second | | | | you to prevent an injury resulting from the stresses |
| tier problem? | | | | placed upon your body during repetitive golf swings. |
| Indicators are inflammation, tears, or bulging of a lower | | | | Secondarily, a golf-specific fitness program will help |
| back disc. Usually this is when folks go to a doctor. If | | | | you dramatically improve your performance on the |
| you are reading this and this paragraph hits a chord, I | | | | course. |