Billiards is a great game to play when you are out with friends having a few drinks and don’t require a lot of strenuous activity. Even so, can it be bad for your back?
Billiards can be bad for your back. It is often caused by the twisting and bending that comes with playing this game, and usually, you will feel it in your lower back.
Billiards doesn’t have to hurt you back, though. You can take preventive measures to help with this so you won’t feel sore and stiff the next day.
Is Billiards Bad For Your Back?
Billiards can be. This is because you will bend and twist to hit the balls with your pool stick. Especially if your body isn’t used to these movements, it could be stressful on your back.
Billiards aren’t bad for your back if you do it in increments and aren’t playing it every day. If you do play it often, it could eventually be bad for you, but there are things to improve this.
Tips To Prevent Back Pain
You can take preventive measures to reduce back pain and eliminate it almost completely. Some of the things you can do are the following:
- Strengthen your core
- Strengthen your lower back
- Do stretches
- Use a back brace
- Use proper form
- Be creative with your shot
- Use a stool
These can help reduce any back pain you may have. It can also improve your shots and help you become a better player!
Strengthen Your Core
Strengthening your core is a wonderful way to reduce soreness and back pain. It helps strengthen those ab muscles and provides more support for your back.
You can do small core workouts every other day to reduce the chance of injuring your back when you play billiards. It can also improve your mobility in your everyday life.
Strengthen Your Lower Back
Although strengthening your core can help with support, strengthening your lower back can be the best way to improve your back pain. It will reduce it and the chances of injury.
You can do lightweight training, or you can work deeper, depending on the routine you choose to do. There are so many poses you can do to help with your back.
Do Stretches
Stretching out your ligaments and muscles will help reduce your back pain and help prevent it. It is best to do these stretches slightly warmed up before you play pool.
Loosening up your muscles and ligaments will reduce the likelihood of you getting stiff after bending over the pool table. Here are some suggested stretches you can do:
- Flexion stretch: chin to chest
- Lateral flexion stretch: ear to shoulder
- Levator scapula stretch
- Corner stretch
Simple stretching, like standing up and reaching towards the sky or doing a half-moon pose, can help stretch your lower back.
Use A Back Brace
If you have done all these things and seem to have some back pain still when playing pool, you can always purchase a back brace. They give you support when you need it.
Just simply buy one that best fits you. You can get a back brace for your lower back or one that helps straighten your posture. You just need to find the one you like best and buy it.
Use Proper Form
Use the proper form when hitting the balls with your pool stick. Improper form can strain your back and other muscles because the position or pose is awkward.
It can be difficult when you want to make that weird shot, but try to keep a proper form to refrain from straining yourself. You don’t want to pull a muscle or ligament with improper form.
Be Creative With Your Shot
Sometimes a shot can be weird and you want to twist yourself in a way to get that shot. This is when you need to become creative with your shot instead of using your body.
There are so many other ways to do a shot without putting your strain on your back. If not, try to go with another ball or even try another route but don’t force yourself.
Use A Stool
For short people, playing pool can be stressful on your back. To help reduce this stress, you can use a stool. Some places have stools available.
Stools can help with creative shots as well so you don’t have to do weird poses to get that perfect shot. It can give you just the right leverage without the added back pain.
Outro
Back pain doesn’t always come when you play pool, but it is possible. You can prevent or reduce the chance of getting back pain by following these tips and learning what works best for you. Enjoy your game!