The Common Advice: “Just Rest”
If you’ve ever had low back pain, chances are someone told you to “just rest.”
At first, it sounds like good advice. Resting can help you feel less sore in the moment. But here’s the problem: rest doesn’t fix what caused the pain in the first place.
The Cleveland Clinic warns that extended bed rest can actually slow recovery and make back pain worse over time.
Why Rest Alone Doesn’t Work
Back pain is usually not about one single “injury.” Instead, it often comes from:
- Weak muscles that don’t support your spine well
- Stiff hips or limited mobility
- Poor posture in daily life or during your golf swing
When you stop moving completely, those muscles get weaker, your joints stiffen, and your posture doesn’t improve. That means when you go back to golf or regular activities, the pain often returns — sometimes worse than before.
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, most low back pain is “mechanical” in nature and improves with movement, not prolonged inactivity.
Movement is Medicine
Your back was designed to move. Controlled, smart movement actually helps your body heal by:
- Improving blood flow to sore tissues
- Strengthening muscles that protect your spine
- Restoring mobility so your swing feels smoother
- Building confidence to return to activity without fear
The National Library of Medicine highlights research showing that exercise and activity are first-line treatments for low back pain, often more effective than passive rest.
What You Should Do Instead
Instead of long periods of rest, focus on:
- Gentle Mobility Work – controlled stretches and hip rotations to keep your joints loose
- Core Stability Training – simple exercises that train deep stabilizing muscles, not just “sit-ups”
- Functional Movement Practice – drills that mimic your golf swing, but with safe mechanics
Systems like the Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA) are designed to identify the real movement problems causing your pain, while golf-specific tools like the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) help connect body movement directly to your swing.
By moving the right way, you’re not just treating the pain — you’re addressing the root cause.
The Bottom Line
Rest can give short-term relief, but it’s not a long-term solution for low back pain. If you’re a golfer or active adult who wants to keep playing without setbacks, the answer isn’t more rest — it’s better movement, strength, and posture.
At Specialized Performance Rehab, we help golfers and active adults solve back pain at the source — so you don’t just “manage” pain, you beat it for good.
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