Low back pain is a typical complaint associated with golf. A common swing fault leading to low back pain is a reverse spine angle. TPI defines a reverse spine as “any excessive upper body backward bend (trunk leaning towards the target) or excessive left lateral upper body bend (for a right-handed player) during the backswing.”
Golfers often compensate into a reverse spine angle when they don’t have proper flexibility and strength. Here are a few common impairments that may contribute or lead to this problem:
Poor hip mobility: If we lack hip movement, we may compensate by moving our upper body backwards during the backswing. Here is a helpful exercise to address this.
Poor thoracic movement: If we lack good thoracic movement, we may compensate by leaning or bending backward in our spine to make up for poor rotation. Here is a useful exercise to address this.
Poor core/gluteal strength: If we have poor gluteal/core strength we may not be able to put our body in a good stable position during the backswing. Here is a good exercise to address this.
If you are dealing with knee pain, click on this link to start fixing it!
https://www.physicaltherapybyaj.com/post/top-3-ways-to-fix-your-knee-pain
As always feel free to reach out to us at AJ Physical Therapy with any questions or concerns.
Jeremy Wampler PT, DPT, OCS