Six Golf Tips To Save Your Back

 

0 inShare

0

share

Golf puts stress on your back. So it’s no surprise when golfers come down with back injuries—a problem that can sideline you for months. If you try to play through it, you can hurt other parts of your body trying to compensate for the injury, including your shoulders, elbows, and wrists. The best way to deal with a back injury is to avoid them altogether. Below are some golf tips to help take stress off your back when swinging.

 Below are six moves that help eliminate back pain:

1.      Turn your front shoulder down (backswing)

2.      Bend your back knee (backswing)

3.      Squat with your lower body (downswing

4.      Shift weight to front foot (impact)

5.      Thrust pelvis toward target (finish)

6.      Stand up to normal height (finish)

Basically, these six moves we describe take pressure off your lumber spine (lower back), which was never intended to twist. They also help add power to your swing.

On the backswing you must maintain a bent right knee and turn your shoulder down before starting your swing. Maintaining a bent knee prevents the right side of your pelvis from becoming higher than the left. More important, it prevents the bottom vertebrae from turning left, putting stress on them. Turning the shoulder down lets the mid-back handle the twisting, not the lower back.

 As you come down, make a slight squatting move. Squatting lets you use your thighs (quadriceps) and butt (glutes) to promote a lateral move to the left, taking stress off your back. It also adds power to your swing. If you don’t squat, the only way for you to generate power is to torque your spine, which isn’t good.

 At impact, your body weight should be over your left leg and your shoulders/hips should be level and turning open. This enables your hips to do most of the rotational work, not your lumbar spine. Your lumbar spine was meant to stabilize your upper torso. Twisting it causes pain.

As you complete your swing, thrust your pelvis forward and stand up. This move lets your left glute and core muscles absorb the swing’s stress. When you finish, you should be standing at your normal height.