I have a question regarding lower back pain and flip turns. I've had lower back pain off and on for about two years now. I'm no spring chicken being 50yrs old. I primarily swim front crawl and do flip turns. My doctor has suggested that doing flip turns is not helping my back condition. I never have any pain when do flip turns but my back does seem to be a little sore later in the day after my workout.
I've experimented with not doing the flip turns and really can't notice much difference with my overall back pain. I'm very careful about how I do my flip turns (slower and knees tucked in).
Are flip turns bad for your lower back?
I'm not convinced the lower back pain is caused by flip turns. I sometimes get a sore back when I first start doing long course training, and since there are fewer turns, they obviously aren't the problem. I think the back pain can be caused by swimming with the lower part of the back too concave (i.e., lordosis). The solution is to swim with a straighter spine. Work on contracting the abs and trying to maintain a neutral position in the water. That's just my total layman's opinion and might not be worth anything.
Doing flip turns with a sore back does hurt, though. I know I have problems doing them when my back hurts, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are responsible for the back pain in the first place.
I'm not convinced the lower back pain is caused by flip turns. I sometimes get a sore back when I first start doing long course training, and since there are fewer turns, they obviously aren't the problem. I think the back pain can be caused by swimming with the lower part of the back too concave (i.e., lordosis). The solution is to swim with a straighter spine. Work on contracting the abs and trying to maintain a neutral position in the water. That's just my total layman's opinion and might not be worth anything.
Doing flip turns with a sore back does hurt, though. I know I have problems doing them when my back hurts, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are responsible for the back pain in the first place.
