Why Do Golfers Get Lower Back Pain?
Back pain in golfers usually comes from the repeated twisting force of the swing. Your lower back takes most of this rotational load, especially if your hips or thoracic spine are stiff. Over time, this can overload the joints, discs and muscles on one side. A standing whole-body scan can show alignment problems that lying-down scans often miss.
Key points
- The golf swing puts a large, uneven twisting force on the lumbar spine.
- Limited hip rotation or a stiff thoracic spine forces your lower back to compensate.
- Pain often appears away from the real cause, because the body works as a connected chain.
- Standard lying-down scans relax your muscles and can hide alignment problems that only show when you stand.
- A standing EOS scan captures your full skeleton under load, helping to find the root cause.
Why does the golf swing cause back pain?
The golf swing creates a strong twisting force. It travels through your body in a fraction of a second. Your lower back sits where two large rotating parts meet: your pelvis below and your torso above. In the downswing, your pelvis turns towards the target while your shoulders are still turned away. This separation, sometimes called X-factor stretch, creates intense compression and shear through the lumbar joints.
If your hips turn freely, much of this force is absorbed before it reaches the lumbar spine. But if one or both hips are stiff, or your mid-back (thoracic spine) does not turn well, your lower back has to make up the difference. That extra work, repeated over hundreds of swings per round and thousands per season, is where most golf back pain starts.
This is a chain problem. Your body is connected from your feet to your head. When one level is restricted, another level has to compensate. Pain often shows up in the lower back even when the real limit is at the hip or mid-back.
What does back pain from golf feel like?
Golf-related lower back pain can show up in several ways, depending on which structures are overloaded. These are the most common patterns.
Aching or tightness on one side of the lower back that comes on during or after play and eases with rest.
A sudden stabbing pain at the end of the swing, often on the trail side (the right side for a right-handed golfer).
A feeling of being locked or stuck in a slightly bent position, especially after hitting a large bucket of balls.
Low-grade aching the morning after playing, worse when getting out of bed or bending to tie your shoes.
Important. If you develop numbness, weakness in your legs, or any loss of bladder or bowel control, get urgent medical help. Contact your doctor, call your local emergency number, or go to the nearest emergency department. These symptoms need assessment the same day, not a scan booking.
What causes golf back pain beyond the swing itself?
The swing is the trigger. But underlying alignment and mobility problems decide who gets hurt and who does not. Several structural factors make golf back pain more likely.
Stiffness in one or both hips, especially in the inward rotation of the lead hip, forces the lumbar spine to twist further. Hip impingement (FAI) is a common contributor.
A rotated pelvis changes the starting position for every swing. This overloads the same side of the lower back again and again.
A stiff mid-back reduces how much rotation is available above the lower back. So the lumbar spine compensates by twisting more.
Repeated bending back and twisting compresses the small joints at the back of each vertebra. Over time, this pattern can lead to facet joint arthropathy.
How much you play matters too. A recreational golfer who plays three times a week and practises at the range may make thousands of swings a month. Each swing loads the spine unevenly, in the same direction. Without enough mobility, conditioning and rest, the stress can build up beyond what the tissues can handle.
How does a standing scan help find the cause of golf back pain?
A standing whole-body EOS scan captures your full skeleton while you are upright and bearing your own weight. This is exactly the position your body is in when you swing a club. It matters because lying-down scans relax your muscles and remove the effects of gravity. A tilted pelvis, a small difference in leg length, or a stiff hip joint that shifts your alignment may look completely normal on a standard MRI or CT taken while you lie flat on your back.
Weight-bearing, full-body view. The EOS system images you from head to foot in one low-dose capture. It shows exactly how your pelvis, spine, hips and legs line up under real-world load. So compensation patterns, tilts and rotations can be seen on the image, rather than hidden by a relaxed position.
The radiation dose is about 90% less than a standard X-ray, around ten times less.
Muscles relaxed, gravity removed. When you lie flat for a conventional X-ray, CT or MRI, your body can settle into a position that hides the very misalignment causing your symptoms. A disc bulge or nerve problem may still be visible, but the alignment picture is lost.
ScanAlign standing EOS imaging gives your treating specialist a full map of your alignment. Any treatment or rehabilitation can then target the real source of the problem, not just where the pain is.
When MRI is the better tool. EOS shows bones, joints and alignment. If your treating specialist suspects a disc herniation, nerve compression or another soft-tissue injury, MRI is usually more suitable. The two scans answer different questions and can work together.
What can golfers do about back pain that keeps coming back?
Improving hip and thoracic mobility is widely seen as one of the most effective ways to reduce the twisting demand on the lower back. Many golf-specific physiotherapy programmes focus on exactly this. A coach can also check your swing for positions that increase lumbar load.
But any exercise or swing change works best when you know what you are starting with. If your pelvis is tilted, one leg is functionally longer than the other, or a hip joint does not rotate fully, a general programme may not address the real problem. That is why accurate alignment data is valuable before starting or changing a rehab plan.
So before you start treatment, or change the one you are on, it is worth getting a detailed diagnosis. Knowing whether the cause sits in your pelvis, your legs or your spine changes what will actually help.
Not sure if an alignment scan is right for you? A free video consultation lets you talk through your symptoms and history with our team from home, before you commit to anything or plan a trip to London.
Book a free video consultationFrequently asked questions about golf and back pain
Mild muscle tiredness can happen after any sport. But pain that continues or gets worse is not something to brush off as normal. It usually means something in the chain, your hips, pelvis or mid-back, is not moving as it should, and your lower back is taking the extra load.
The golf swing combines twisting, side-bending and bending back at high speed, all in one direction. Most other sports spread the load more evenly. This repeated, one-sided pattern is what makes the lumbar spine vulnerable in golfers.
Yes. If your lead hip cannot turn inward enough during the downswing, the twisting force has to go somewhere. It is redirected into the lumbar spine. Hip impingement, arthritis, or simply long-standing tightness can all reduce hip rotation.
A pelvic tilt or rotation changes your starting alignment at address. It can mean one hip has less room to turn. This makes the swing uneven from the start and increases the load on one side of the lower back.
An EOS scan is a standing, weight-bearing X-ray. It captures your full skeleton from head to foot in one image. For golfers, it shows alignment problems, an uneven pelvis, limits in hip rotation and spinal curves that only show up when you are upright and under load. The dose is about 90% less radiation than a standard X-ray, around ten times less.
No. ScanAlign is a private self-pay clinic. You can refer yourself directly. The process starts with a free video consultation.
For patients travelling from abroad, the price is confirmed during the free video consultation. You can also visit the book an alignment scan page.
Yes. The EOS system uses about 90% less radiation than a standard X-ray, around ten times less. It is one of the lowest-dose skeletal imaging options available.
That depends on how bad your pain is and what is causing it. ScanAlign is a diagnostic imaging clinic, not a treatment provider, so we cannot advise you on changing your activity. Your physiotherapist, osteopath or consultant can guide you once they have accurate alignment data.
Understanding your body's alignment can guide mobility work and swing changes. ScanAlign provides the diagnostic imaging. Any benefit to your performance comes from how you and your coaching or clinical team use the information.
Find out what your alignment is really doing
A free video consultation lets you talk through your symptoms and see whether a standing alignment scan could help, before you travel. No obligation, no referral needed.
Book a free video consultationWritten by Abbas Dhami (Specialist Diagnostic Radiographer)
Sources
- McHardy, A., Pollard, H. and Luo, K. (2006). Golf injuries: a review of the literature. Sports Medicine, 36(2), 171-187.
- Lindsay, D. and Horton, J. (2002). Comparison of spine motion in elite golfers with and without low back pain. Journal of Sports Sciences, 20(8), 599-605.
- NHS. Low back pain. NHS.uk. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/back-pain/ (Accessed 2024).
This page is general information and not a diagnosis.
ScanAlign is the trading name of CoreMed Solutions Ltd and operates under The Harley Street Hospital's CQC licence.