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| Golf and Your Spine |
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Proper skeletal alignment and function is the foundation of your golf game. To hit the ball
a great distance, a golfer must be able to rotate into and maintain a wide arc through the
swing. Proper swing mechanics are dependent on proper muscle function. Since all
muscles originate from bone and attach to bone, proper muscle function is dependent on
your skeleton’s alignment and function.
There are three fundamental causes of golf injuries:
- Poor posture
- Lack of flexibility
- Poor swing mechanics
The root cause of poor mechanics is often the result of a physical restriction or
mechanical dysfunction, which may be alleviated through Chiropractic procedures.
Sound golf posture is both static and dynamic. Static posture is responsible for your
overall alignment before the swing begins. The ability to maintain posture and flexibility
during the golf swing is a measure of a golfer’s dynamic postural strength and fitness
and should be resolved through a proper golf fitness and strengthening program.
On the golf course, physical exertion is intermittent. The golf swing requires the spine to
rotate, bend laterally and extend. This requires flexibility that is golf specific. From the front
your spine is supposed to be straight, but from the side you are supposed to have four
major spinal curves. These curves act like shock absorbers in gravity.
We distinguish between primary and secondary spinal curves. Primary spinal curves are
in the area of your shoulder blades and from your hips towards your buttocks. Secondary
spinal curves are in your neck and in the small of your lower back. (see figure below)
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Kyphosis = Primary curves
Lordosis = Secondary curves
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Good golf posture requires the secondary curves in the cervical (neck) and lumbar (lower
back) spine to be in lordosis. The secondary spinal curves provide mechanical leverage for
strength and facilitates your ability to rotate. Poor golf posture with a collapse at the
secondary curves restricts spinal rotation. This will cause you to over swing, leading to soft
tissue injuries. The secondary curves are also levers that provide mechanical advantage
and strength for movement of the spinal column.
Functional restoration of the secondary curves in the cervical and lumbar spine is
therefore an essential component in your golf fitness regime.
Sports Psychology, read further...
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(011) 792 9208
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