Golf with a bad back?

[rezadue]

For those of you who have played with me, you know that I am always complaining about lower back pain. I have had this naggin pain for a number of years now and have followed everything the doctor has recommended with varying degrees of success.

This past spring I finally convinced my doctor that nothing was really working and he finally yielded and referred my for an MRI. I had the MRI two weeks ago.

Today during the follow up visit to my doctor, he said that the MRI showed one bulging dis and one herniated disk.

I wanted to know if any of you golfers out there have suffered a similar fate and what has been the course of action followed/recommendation given etc.

I find that golf is like mental therapy for me and the prospect of giving it up is a depressing notion.

[fundonny]

Is that what Couples had/has?

[jvincent]

Have you tried a chiropractor? I hurt my back a few years ago and my doctor referred me to one and it helped a lot.

[mikelaurin]

I have 2 buldging disks , had 3 cotasone shots didnt help, what I did do was buy a teeter hang up inversion table helps alot use it every day ,also I always walk insted of taking a cart

[LBH]

I suffered a herniated disc injury 2 years ago while playing golf in Niagara Falls. My doctor recommended physiotherapy which I did 3 times a week for 3 months and then twice a week for one more and then once a week for the final month. 5 months later, my injury was gone. Since then, I have only felt slight discomfort in my back once in a while (once every month or two) and it usually lasts only a few minutes.

I tried the chiropractor and I did not like the treatment - personal opinion here only. Physio worked best for me.

Try physio and/or chiro and continue with what works for you.

Everyone is different.

[jeffc]

I do a lot of stretches, though my back issues are muscular in nature....

[Marcos]

Reza, this happened to me about 18 years agao when i was starting out at the hospital.I was fortunate enough to work in physio and able to see our doctor at the first symptoms .I was off work for about 5 months and lucky enough it was at the start of winter. I went to physio 3 times a week and followed her instructions for over 6 months. There is only one way to get rid of your problem and it involves some rest.
These were her orders back then and thanks to her, I can pursue all my normal activities.
1- no streneous activities(this includes all the stuff you love such as, golf,skiing,etc..
2- sitting is the worst possible thing for your back at this moment. If you have a job where you have to sit, ask your boss to be evaluated by someone from the health dept.My wife also had the same problem and she was given a podium to work from to give her back a break. She also worked at the same hospital that i did and saw the same physio for her treatments.
3- when watching t.v. at home try and get on your back and elevate your legs so to remove some strain from your back.This works wonders to this day.
4-last and not least,you need to start a physio program.It may take some time to recover from this but you must be patient and you will see results.
My wife and I are o.k now and as you know we both carry our bags and play over 150 games a year so it is possible.Now is the best time to start treatment cause you wont be golfing for a while.
I hope that this info is helpfull and that you get well soon and dont forget, its gonna take some time.
Good luck my friend.
Marc

[tmacgolf]

Echoing many of the comments above, my back trouble (slipped disks with pinched nerves) was taken care of with about three months of physio. From time to time I have to do some of the exercises or stretches to loosen up after a round, otherwise, I was able to continue playing regularly. I hope this works out for you.

[stevek]

I have fused discs at the lower end of my spine. Doctor recommended either surgery or to build up the muscle, I chose the latter. To get through the pain at the beginning I took Anaprox (Naproxen) to keep the inflammation down.

Whenever my back now bothers me it's because I'm not exercising enough. I have an ongoing supply of Anaprox to get me through the rough patches.

[powerlefty]

I have a bad back - not as serious as bulging discs, but mainly scar tissue from some repetitive tears in muscle tissue when I was younger.

I stretch my back and hamstrings every morning; and also before I play golf or hockey.

Before I play, I have started to use Rub-A535 or Icy Hot cream on my back and hamstrings.

I wear a back brace when I drive to and from the course as well as when I play.

After I play, I stretch and apply ice to my lower back as soon as I get home.

This seems to help me. This year I played almost 60 rounds and had only 1 day where my back bothered me.

[Kiwi]

As you can see there are as many "solutions" as there are problems. I am currently suffering from a pinched nerve in my left butt/leg. Cannot rotate so baseball and golf are out.. for now. I am going back to the doctor next week to get a chiro referral, as that is the only thing I have yet to try. One thing the specialist said after looking at my MRI and xrays was that I should try a brace, that I'd be amazed at the number of golfers that extend their playing time by doing so. So far I do wear it for physical chores and curling. I think it is helping, but of course a full diagnosis and treatment would be preferable. Good luck, time and persistence will hopefully find you a manageable solution. BTW a top of the line brace set me back $175, 80% paid by my medical.