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Why Low Back Pain Is So Common in Golfers

Written by Ifije Ohiorhenuan, MD, PhD — Board-Certified Spine Surgeon. Last updated 2026-06-20.

Why does my back hurt after golf?

Low back pain is one of the most common complaints among golfers. That can feel surprising at first because golf is not usually thought of as a contact sport. There is no tackling, jumping, or sprinting. But the golf swing asks the spine to do something difficult: rotate quickly, repeatedly, and under load.[1]

For many golfers, the problem is not one dramatic injury. It is the accumulation of many swings over many rounds, practice sessions, range buckets, and years of play. The spine is repeatedly exposed to rotation, side-bending, compression, and follow-through forces. When those forces exceed what the body is prepared to tolerate, the result may be soreness, stiffness, or persistent low back pain.

Research summarized in the source synthesis consistently identifies the lower back as the most common injury site in golfers.[2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9] Depending on the study population and methods, low back pain accounted for a substantial portion of golf-related injuries. This does not mean golf is unsafe. It means the lower back is one of the main body regions golfers should proactively protect.

Golf back pain is often an overuse problem

A key pattern in the research is that many golf injuries appear to be related to repetition and load rather than a single accident. A golfer may not remember one specific swing that caused the problem. Instead, pain may build slowly: a little stiffness after a round, then soreness after practice, then discomfort during the swing, then pain that lingers into the next day.

That pattern matters because the solution is not always “stop golfing forever.” Often, the more useful question is: what part of the golfer’s workload, swing, mobility, strength, or recovery capacity is failing?

For example, a golfer who suddenly increases practice volume before a tournament may irritate the back even if the swing has not changed. A golfer with limited hip rotation may ask the lumbar spine to rotate more than it should. A golfer with poor trunk endurance may tolerate the first nine holes but struggle on the back nine. These are different problems, and they may require different solutions.

The follow-through phase may be especially important

Several studies in the source synthesis point to the follow-through phase as an important moment for lumbar stress. During follow-through, the spine may be exposed to a combination of rotation, side bending, and shear. For a golfer who already has back pain, this is often the part of the swing where symptoms are most noticeable.

A practical way to think about this is that the swing does not end at impact. Many golfers focus heavily on backswing and ball contact but pay less attention to what happens after impact. The body still has to decelerate the club, trunk, pelvis, and shoulders. Poor control during that deceleration phase can be irritating for the low back.

Who is at higher risk?

The source synthesis identifies several factors associated with higher injury risk in amateur golfers, including older age, prior injury history, osteoarthritis, overuse, and poor technique.[10] None of these factors means a golfer must stop playing. They simply suggest that the golfer may need a more deliberate plan.

For example, an older golfer with known lumbar arthritis and a previous back injury should probably be more cautious about sudden increases in practice volume. A newer golfer taking repeated high-effort swings with inconsistent mechanics may benefit from coaching earlier rather than later. A competitive golfer with recurring back pain may need a combined approach that includes physical therapy, strength training, mobility work, and swing review.

Prevention should start before pain becomes chronic

One interesting pattern from the source synthesis is that golfers who performed prevention exercises often already had more symptoms. In other words, many golfers appear to begin prevention only after pain has started. That is understandable, but it is not ideal.

The better model is to treat back care as part of golf preparation, not as a punishment after injury. That may include a warm-up before playing, gradual progression of practice volume, hip and trunk mobility work, trunk endurance training, and attention to recovery.

A simple prevention mindset might look like this:

  • Warm up before the first tee or range session.

  • Avoid sudden spikes in practice volume.

  • Strengthen the trunk, hips, and legs.

  • Maintain hip rotation and hamstring mobility.

  • Get coaching if the swing repeatedly provokes pain.

  • Seek evaluation if pain persists, radiates into the leg, or limits normal activity.

Bottom line

Low back pain is common in golfers because the golf swing repeatedly loads the lumbar spine in rotation, side-bending, compression, and deceleration. Most golf-related back pain is not simply “bad luck.” It often reflects a mismatch between swing mechanics, training volume, mobility, strength, and recovery.

The encouraging part is that many of these factors are modifiable. Golfers do not have to choose between ignoring the pain and quitting the sport. A smarter approach is to understand why the back is being irritated and then build a plan to reduce that stress.

References

This guide draws on the following studies and reviews. Much of this literature is observational or abstract-level, so findings are described here as associations rather than proof. The numbered markers in the text show which sources support each point.

  1. Watson M, Coughlan D, Clement ND, et al. Biomechanical parameters of the golf swing associated with lower back pain: A systematic review. J Sports Sci. 2023;41(24):2236-2250.
  2. Lindsay DM, Vandervoort AA. Golf-related low back pain: a review of causative factors and prevention strategies. Asian J Sports Med. 2014;5(4):e24289.
  3. Williamson TR, Kay RS, Robinson PG, et al. Epidemiology of musculoskeletal injury in professional and amateur golfers: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2024;58(11):606-614.
  4. Williams A, Murray A, Sorbie GG. Epidemiology of injuries in UK based golfers: a retrospective study. Phys Sportsmed. 2025;53(2):152-158.
  5. Robinson PG, Clarsen B, Murray A, et al. A prospective study of injuries and illnesses among 910 amateur golfers during one season. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2024;10(3):e001844.
  6. McHardy AJ, Pollard HP, Luo K. Golf-related lower back injuries: an epidemiological survey. J Chiropr Med. 2007;6(1):20-6.
  7. Murray A, Junge A, Robinson PG, et al. Cross-sectional study of characteristics and prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints in 1170 male golfers. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2023;9(1):e001504.
  8. Batt ME. A survey of golf injuries in amateur golfers. Br J Sports Med. 1992;26(1):63-5.
  9. McHardy A, Pollard H, Luo K. One-year follow-up study on golf injuries in Australian amateur golfers. Am J Sports Med. 2007;35(8):1354-60.
  10. Smith JA, Hawkins A, Grant-Beuttler M, et al. Risk Factors Associated With Low Back Pain in Golfers: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Health. 2018;10(6):538-546.

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This article is educational and does not replace individualized medical advice. If your back pain is severe, persistent, radiates into the leg, or comes with numbness, weakness, or bowel or bladder changes, seek evaluation from a qualified clinician.