If you love hitting the links but you don’t always love the aches and pains that come with an afternoon on the course, it might be time to try some mobility exercises.

Golf is a great way to get some exercise and fresh air but it can also lead to injuries if you aren’t properly conditioned. Doing mobility exercises in advance of a golf outing can not only help you prevent injury, stiffness and other issues – it can also improve your game!

Golf is a game of rotation. If you lack mobility in your spine or hips, you won’t have a great golf swing – and worse, you can injure yourself. Improving mobility specifically in your thoracic spine (middle back) and hips has the potential to both improve your game and prevent pain and stiffness.

In golf, most of your movement comes from your thoracic spine and hips. Even before the pandemic many of us were sitting excessively, which can wreak havoc on thoracic spine and hip mobility. If you lack mobility in either of those areas, your body will compensate and find another way to move, and in this case, rotate – which can lead to injuries in the neck, shoulders, lower back and knees.

So, what can a golfer do? Here are some strength and mobility exercises that can help.

Rotation

Rotation, or twisting, is a great way to warm up the thoracic spine and hips. Standing trunk twists are an easy way to get the kinks out right before you tee up, but you’re going to want to build strength within that range of motion, which is the true meaning of mobility. Simply gaining range of motion, or flexibility, without strength won’t improve your swing, and it can still lead to injury.

Exercise for developing range of motion for thoracic rotation:

• Side lying arm circles

Exercises for developing strength within that range of motion:

• Seated spine twist
• Thoracic rotation in quadruped

Exercises for developing functional strength within that range of motion:

• Lunge stance with downward chop
• Lunge stance with upward chop

Thoracic Extension

Thoracic extension is important for neck, shoulder, arm and lower back health. Sitting or standing in suboptimal positions with rounded shoulders will decrease your ability to extend or arch your upper back, which can lead to a myriad of compensatory movement patterns that can lead to injury.

Exercises for developing range of motion for thoracic extension:

• Thoracic extension with a foam roller
• Thoracic extension without a foam roller

Exercise for developing strength within extension range of motion:

• Thoracic extension with pivot prone

Hip Mobility

Hip mobility is not only important for golf, but also for simple things such as walking and running. Sitting for prolonged periods of time, and more importantly sitting without adequate weight through your feet can cause low grade tension through your hip flexors rendering them tight and weak. Yes, having muscles that are tight and weak is a thing.

Exercise for hip mobility and strength, and thoracic extension:

• Anterior hip and thoracic extension mobility

Exercise for hip mobility and thoracic rotation:

• Spider-man

Have any questions? Email us at office@beaconpt.com!

Beacon Physical Therapy

At Beacon Physical Therapy, we can help you reduce aches and pains caused by golfing – and maybe even improve your swing. If you have questions, make an appointment today. We’d love to meet you and get you back to doing what you love.