Spring is finally here! Really! I see more and more people out at the driving range and on the golf course, and that is great! What I also see though, is a little alarming…the golfers bodies, especially shoulders, upper back, neck and hips are still frozen and stuck from winter. Getting that golf ball off the tee and into the air is not a pretty sight and often results in some fairly substantial pain from the musculo-skeletal compensation used to get the job done. That’s a mouthful, but it means there is a lot of pain in the low back, knees, elbows and shoulders for these golfers because of this.
Here is a quick sequence of e-cises you can do both before and after golf that will unlock the upper back, hips and shoulders so the body can work as a inter-connected unit rather than disparate parts. Our Egoscue enthusiasts will recognize these e-cises. If you are not yet familiar with Egoscue e-cises, and would like to know more about these, give us a call and we’ll give you some pointers.
ARM CIRCLES to strengthen the upper back muscles involved in the ball and socket work while reconnecting the back and pelvis.
ELBOW CURLS to remind the shoulders that they have a hinge function while getting the upper back out of its rounded stooped place.
STANDING OVERHEAD EXTENSION getting all the load-bearing joints to line up in the vertical line and extending the upper back through the neck.
UPPER SPINAL FLOOR TWIST uses rotation of the spine to continue opening and lengthening the mid and upper back while strengthening the hips in the same plane, twists the upper body against the lower body (important for that swing!).
CATS AND DOGS work hips, spine, shoulders and neck in coordinated flexion-extension and asks all the muscles of hips, back shoulders to work bilaterally – both right and left shoulders together at the same time. This is so important as more and more we use just one side of our bodies predominantly.
Try these both before and after you have played your round of golf. I can guarantee you’ll feel the difference. Contact us at Pain Free Performance with any questions. Enjoy the course!
