Are you a golfer who suffers from back pain? Are you a golfer who doesn’t want back pain? Maintaining a strong core and mobile spine is vital to overall health as well as supporting daily activities. But over time we place an insurmountable amount of stress on our spines. Add in an active lifestyle, normal aging, dietary changes, decrease in core strength and injuries, and you have quite the set-up for a back injury.
Golf is a game that can be played into your later years. So, it’s essential to take care of your back to not only improve your golf game but to insure your game-playing years go the distance.
Our South Loop Chiropractic Physician, Dr. Michael Gontarek, DC, is here to help you avoid injuries this golf season. Watch the video below!
Here are 4 additional exercises to improve your swing, strengthen your core, and save your back:
Mobility Spinal Twist
Lie on your left side with knees, hips and shoulders stacked on top of one another. Reach arms forward with palms together. Slowly reach your right arm over to the right by rotating your torso to open into a twist. If your arm doesn’t reach the ground, don’t force it. Slowly come back to neutral.
Bird Dogs
Come onto hands and knees. Your spine is neutral with hands underneath shoulders and knees under hips. Brace your abs and pretend there’s a plate of food on your back that you don’t want to spill. Simultaneously extend your left foot behind you and your right arm forward. Your palm faces the side and your foot is flexed. Slowly return back to hands and knees before repeating on the other side.
Toe Taps
These are excellent for core and hip stabilization while maintaining a neutral spine. Lie on your back with feet up and shins parallel to the ground. Your upper body is flat on the floor. Tap your right toes to the ground and then your left. Abs are braced to prevent your low back from arching.
Prone Rows
Lie face down with a stability ball underneath your hips. Knees are soft to take pressure off your low back. Bring your elbows out to a 90-degree angle with fingertips touching the ground. Pull your elbows back towards one another and squeeze. Release your fingertips back to the ground.
When your core and spine are strong and mobile, your golf swing follow-through will become smoother and drive more power. It’s all about creating symmetry and maintaining proper balance in your body so that your strokes come out on top time and time again!
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Lisa Payne is a nationally recognized health and fitness writer from Chicago, Illinois. She received her Bachelors’ degrees in Broadcast Journalism and Mass Communications, and her MFA in Writing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her writing credits include: Aligned Modern Health, Vital Proteins, The Family Institute at Counseling@Northwestern University, Fitness Republic, Today’s Chicago Woman magazine, Cheeky Chicago, Fabletics, Livestrong.com and ActivMotion Bar. For more on Lisa’s extensive writing and social media background, visit her website at writerlisapayne.com!
