Part 1 – The Hip

The golf season may finally be here with tons of courses opening this weekend.  Are you ready to get out and play?

To those who play it is common knowledge that the golf swing is one of the most complex athletic movements in sports.  It takes a fine balance of power, stability and mobility.  Lacking in one of these three areas will lead to a less efficient swing and possible compensation injuries.

The most common place golfers lack mobility is through the hips and thoracic spine.  With a lack of movement in these regions compensation occurs at the lumbar spine and shoulders.

Did you know your lower back (lumbar spine) is designed primarily flexion and extension (bending forward and backwards) and rotational forces put an extreme amount of stress on the joints in the lumbar spine.

With proper rotation at the hips the lumbar spine will be able to stay in neutral alignment protecting it from injury.  Another benefit to having full range of motion at the hips is the ability to create more power from proper force production from the ground and up through your core.  Turning will take less effort making it more consistent.  This means more yards on your drive and shorter irons to the green!

Signs that you may have an issue with hip rotation in your swing:

- A short backswing
- Difficulty turning hips in backswing
- Difficulty squaring hips to target on follow through
- Being told you are not finishing your swing
- Sore back after every round
- Difficulty maintaining balance during swing
- Consistent slice or push shot

If you experience any of these issues, book an appointment with your chiropractor or RMT for an assessment to determine if your hips are holding you back from better golf!

Brook Bennie RMT

In Part 2, we will discuss thoracic

mobility and how it affects your

shoulders, wrists and neck