Stretching Won’t Fix Your Golf Back Pain—Here’s What Will

Want to build a strong, pain-free lower back you can trust on the course?

Well, stretching won’t do it.

Sure, it feels good at the moment—your muscles loosen, your back feels temporarily better—but it’s not a long-term solution. If stretching truly fixed back pain, golfers wouldn’t be dealing with the same nagging issues year after year.

So why doesn’t it work? And more importantly, what actually does?

The answer lies in understanding the root causes of back pain—both how it starts (Primary Risk Factors) and why it keeps coming back (Secondary Risk Factors).

Primary Risk Factors: What Causes Your First Episode of Back Pain?

Most golfers experience their first-ever back pain episode due to one or more of these key risk factors. Some are obvious (like trauma), while others (like whole-body vibration) are hidden risks golfers rarely consider.

1. Loading: The Stress You Put on Your Back

• Every swing puts tremendous rotational force on your spine.  It’s cumulative.

• Your body can handle it if everything is working properly—but if your mechanics are off, or if you overdo it, the accumulated load leads to breakdown.

• Think of it like a rope slowly fraying—you don’t notice the damage until it finally snaps.

2. Trauma: The Sudden Injury That Starts It All

• Sometimes, it’s one bad movement—a heavy lift, a misstep, or a swing that tweaks your back.

• Even a small trauma can create inflammation and set off a cycle of pain that’s hard to escape.

3. Whole Body Vibration (WBV): The Hidden Risk in Golf Carts

• Long rides in a golf cart (or tractor or similar), especially over bumpy terrain, expose your spine to low-level vibrations.

• Research shows WBV contributes to spinal disc degeneration, making your back more vulnerable.

4. Weak Back Muscles: Endurance Matters More Than Strength

• If the muscles supporting your spine fatigue quickly, your back is left unprotected.

• This leads to stress being transferred to your spinal discs and joints, increasing the risk of injury.

5. Work-Related Stress: Sitting All Day Sets You Up for Injury

• If you sit for long hours at work, your back and core muscles weaken over time.

• High stress levels cause muscle tension, making your back more sensitive to pain.

6. Smoking: A Surprising Factor in Back Pain

• Smoking reduces blood flow to the spine, leading to weaker discs and slower healing.

• Studies show golfers who smoke are far more likely to develop persistent back pain.

7. Age and Fitness Level: The Reality of Getting Older

• Golfers over 40 experience natural muscle loss and disc wear.

• A low level of physical activity makes injuries more likely and harder to recover from.

Secondary Risk Factors: What Makes Your Back Pain Keep Coming Back?

If you’ve already had back pain, these factors determine whether it heals and stays away or keeps returning after every round.

1. Weak Back Muscles (Again!)—The #1 Cause of Recurring Pain

• You don’t need a stronger back—you need a back that lasts all 18 holes without fatiguing.

• Golfers with low endurance in their back muscles are much more likely to have chronic pain episodes.

2. Low Mood and Stress: How Your Mind Affects Your Pain

• Stress and anxiety tighten your muscles and make your nervous system more sensitive to pain.

• Studies show golfers with high stress or depression experience more frequent and intense flare-ups.

3. Extra Weight: The Load Your Spine Has to Carry

• Excess weight, particularly around the abdomen, shifts your center of gravity, forcing your lower back to work harder.

• Extra weight also increases inflammation, making pain worse.

4. Passive Coping & Catastrophizing: Fear Makes It Worse

• Many golfers avoid movement after an episode of back pain, fearing they’ll make it worse.

• This “guarding” leads to stiffness, weakness, and a cycle of recurring pain.

• Instead of avoiding movement, the key is to build resilience and retrain the body.

The Bottom Line: Stretching Feels Good, But It Won’t Prevent Back Pain

Think of stretching like putting a bucket under a leaking pipe—it helps in the moment, but it doesn’t address the actual problem.

If you want a back you can trust on and off the course, you need to go beyond relief and focus on real prevention.

That’s exactly what we help golfers do in our free workshops.

Ready to Build a Back That Lasts? Join Our Free Workshop

You don’t have to live with persistent back pain. You just need the right plan—one that actually works.

In our FREE Golf Back Pain Workshop, you’ll learn:

• ExactlyWhy stretching feels good but could actually be holding back your recovery

• How to identify your biggest personal risk factors

• What your own Functional Assessment is and how you can use it to plan your recovery.

  

  
  Don't wait for the next flare-up. Take control of your back now.