Most people do not give golf the athletic credit it deserves. Proper golf swings utilize the entire body, the right side just as much as the left. The most common injury site for Golfers is the low back. Usually this is rooted in not being flexible enough in the torso, low back, and pelvic floor muscles.
This lack of flexibility leads to sloppy form-and injury is almost inevitable.
Many trusted golf resources such as the Titelist Performance Institute and Dr. Jeffery Tucker-a golf specialist, say in a proper swing the hips initiate movement into the ball, then the force travels through the trunk and finally out the arms.
Rotation in the MID-BACK is key to getting the most power out of your swing.
If you study the anatomy of the lumbar spine, you will see that the spinal joints are orientated to allow flexion and extension, not rotation.
If the lower back is forced to do rotation due to a lack of hip and thoracic mobility, it’s only a matter of time before an injury will occur in the lumbar spine.
It’s also important to know abnormal motion in other joints like the ankle or shoulder can cause poor hip and torso motion.
Another vital aspect to injury preventing is maintaining proper posture. Balanced, aligned, and flexible muscles allow for the proper joint motion needed for a picture perfect golf swing.
The treatment needed to improve posture requires the release of tight muscles and trigger points in the low back, shoulders and hips, encourages an optimally functioning nervous system, and restores normal range of motion to all the joints in the body.
Chiropractic care is one of the best ways to accomplish these goals.
In order to bring your game to the next level, your body needs to be void of injury, and your mind has to be confident in that fact.
Having a golf professional or your chiropractic physician watch your posture while you swing is vital to insuring you have the proper posture and flexibility in order to accomplish a swing that won’t hurt you and improve your game.
I’ve found the Titelist Performance Institute to be an invaluable resource in my own practice to help me learn the subtle postural changes that change a golfers’ entire outlook on the game.
Here is a list of some fundamental exercises you can use to gauge your ability to play at 100 percent. If these simple exercises are a challenge for you, or you feel like one side of your body can perform some much better than the other, getting your spine and posture checked is an absolute must:
▪ Forward bends at the hips and touch your fingers to the floor.
▪ Left and right lunges.
▪ Side bend stretches
▪ Planks and push-ups
▪ Simple squats with no weight
Environmental factors such as having a desk job, spending a lot of time driving, previous injury to the low back, or being new to the sport of golf pretty much guarantee your posture is in need of some correction.
Simple corrective exercises your golf game can reach a whole new level.