4 Swing Faults That Cause a Bad Back

Back issues are reasonably common in golf. Often it is a case of the golfer coming to the game with a bad back in the first place and then the motion of the golf swing aggravates it. However, all too often, the golf swing causes back issues. In this video are what I believe to be the 4 most common swing faults that will cause back problems. There are also fixes that you would need to work on in order to stop the cycle of playing and getting injured.
1. Rotating to much with the lower back. 00:57
2. Hyper-extending the spine. 04:16
3. Overly extending the spine in the follow-through. 07:25
4. Not slowing the club down with the hands. 08:12
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[@al1356]

Just found your channel. I have had lots of lessons and read countless books and watched 1000s of videos on KZbin. Never have I understood movement as I do now. Thank you for posting and sharing, I will be reviewing this for a few days. Subscribed 👍

[@jacobwjones]

Thank You. - My Back

[@weekendwarrior11]

Some of the best explanations for these problems that I've found. And the drills are a huge help. Thanks for this!

[@GolfCoachDrNoel]

Many thanks. I hope it helps you out of back pain

[@johannblignaut1966]

Good solid advice well explained.Much appreciated.

[@jamessanders8452]

What is the solution for the 3rd swing issue.. thats what i do i believe.

[@dunkirk1581]

A bad back is pulled muscles that are in a spasm, warm yourself up before playing avoid injury. If injured massage the mucles to relax them and pain stops.

[@IIISWILIII]

I over extended my downswing last week and paid dearly for it! Wasn't even a hard swing. Strained the hell out of my lattissmus dorsi

[@lgoler]

@Dr Noel, I watched the entire video but didn't see anything that would specifically suggest pain for the upper back and shoulders? I went to the range to hit about 20 balls to test a driver. Granted, I hadn't swung a club in 6 months and now my upper back is beyond strained as are my shoulders and lower cervical spine. Is this likely just a factor of not having swung a club for many months or a technique issue? If the latter, it would be great to know what incorrect swing is usually the culprit for upper back pain. Thanks!

[@underworldevents265]

I had spinal fusion surgery and only have 2 vertebrae on the bottom and 3 on the top that are not fused. As such, getting side bend is very difficult...and impossible without being very painful. Any suggestions on how to address this? I know side bend is crucial and I have tried standing up taller at address, which works decently for the driver, but not for the short irons. Thank you.

[@jackflash8756]

I can understand too much thoracic side bend while rotating can cause pressure on the back but isn't that what most tour pro golfers do? Many get their trail shoulder further down plane and closer to their trail hip in the downswing from P5.5 to P7 so that they don't run out of right arm. They need the trail arm to not straighten before impact to support the lead wrist through impact. In fact Choi did some research on an instrumented grip to measure forces and torques (plus use some inverse dynamics) applied by each hand for a small sample of pro golfers . The graphs actually show that the trail hand is being pulled on by the club , therefore the trail hand is actually preventing an early lead wrist extension flip/roll before impact. That's why there is a need to not run out of right arm because a premature straightening right arm and wrist will exacerbate an early flip action. Therefore to not run out of right arm the pro golfers have to deploy thoracic side-bend (and crunch factor - which is defined as the product of the lateral inclination angle of the torso and the speed of the axial rotation of the torso with respect to the pelvis) to get their trail shoulder further down plane and closer to the ball. So my question: To reduce that crunch factor and the risk of back injury (which the pros seem to be risking) , should the recreational golfer allow their trail arm to straighten early and use a rolling/flip hand release action?

[@GolfCoachDrNoel]

Thanks Jack. My understanding is that side-bend while rotating is not a stressful move in itself but when you add extension to the mix it becomes a problem. If we are rotating in side-bend while the lower back is arching then there is stress. Again, I would urge you to take up Dr Bull's coach academy if you don't already. There is a huge amount of biomechanical information that you would enjoy. www.bull3dacademy.com/

[@jackflash8756]

Many thanks Dr Rousseau

[@nassersaleh5136]

What is the solution for 3rd type of people?

[@jamesbaine580]

I have a deteriorating L5 disk, It's slowly getting worse. I've already had my hip replaced from osteoporosis. Is there any swing that will truly be pain free

[@GolfCoachDrNoel]

Hi James. Sorry to hear of your deteriorating back. I am not a biomechanic but I would say that every golf swing is going to need spine rotation, although, as I understand it, the lumbar spine does not rotate more than 1 degree at each vertebrae and is more tasked with flexion/extension (bending forward).As long as you release the club well with your hands you shouldn't be overly loaded in this area.

[@jamesbaine580]

@@GolfCoachDrNoel Thanks for your feedback

[@jamesbaine580]

@@GolfCoachDrNoel Another problem I have is I tend to stay on my heels for impact so I either stand up or fall kind of backward. Is there such a thing as lifts for the golf shoes to kind of lean you forward automatically at address

[@IverKnackerov]

Someone’s mobile phone is constantly interfering with the audio …. Annoying. Otherwise a good video on 3 faults. No solution to issue 3 offered though ..??🤷‍♂️