Improving Your Golf Swing by Improving Your Thoracic Mobility
To improve your golf swing, it is essential to improve your thoracic mobility. Thoracic mobility refers to the rotational capacity of your thoracic spine which is comprised of 12 vertebrae in the mid-back that are specifically designed for rotation, flexion, and extension of the torso. Adequate motion in the thoracic spine helps to minimize compensatory motion in the golf swing, create a longer back swing, and generate power in the golf swing and clubhead speed. In the video, Mangiarelli Rehabilitation physical therapist Mike demonstrates exercises you can do to improve your thoracic mobility and golf swing.
Biomechanical Components of the Golf Swing
The majority of the movement and power generated during the golf swing comes from the thoracic spine and hips. However, each part of the kinetic chain plays a role in the golf swing and is made up of an alternating series of mobile and stable joints.
The ankle, a mobile joint, is the first component of the golf swing as the golfer needs mobility of the ankle in three planes of motion to avoid injury further up the kinetic chain. The knee is a stable joint that is supported by a number of muscles and ligaments and can provide a lot of power in the golf swing when activated properly. The hip is a mobile joint and is one of the most important components of a golf swing. Proper use of the hips is essential to avoid injury to the knee or lumbar spine. A mobile hip joint provides lower body rotation to create torque in the golf swing without placing undue stress on the low back.
The thoracic spine is a key component of the golf swing. The thoracic spine is a mobile joint in the mid-back that helps to provide more torque and rotation in the golf swing. The scapulothoracic joint is a stable joint of the shoulder blade that protects the mobile shoulder joint from muscular injury during the golf swing over time. Lastly, the elbow (a stable joint) and the wrist (a mobile joint) make up the final two joints in the golf swing.
A deficit in one of the mobile joints of the kinetic chain can lead to compensation by a stable joint that leads to injury. The low back in particular is vulnerable to injury because it is sandwiched between the two most important mobile joints for the golf swing, the hips and the thoracic spine. Therefore, limitations in mobility in the hips and thoracic spine can contribute to low back pain and affect the power and accuracy of your golf swing.
What is the Thoracic Spine?
The thoracic spine is comprised of 12 vertebrae in the middle of the back. It is the largest and most dynamic section of the spine, containing the entire rib cage which is attached to the thoracic spine (except for the last two ribs). The thoracic spine, or T-spine, protects internal organs and is a mobile part of the spine in which the vertebrae are specifically designed for rotation, flexion, and extension of the torso.
During the golf swing, the back and spine have numerous demands placed on them, from flexing and extending to rotating and side-bending. Adequate motion in the thoracic spine helps to minimize compensatory motion in the golf swing, create a longer back swing, and generate power in the golf swing and clubhead speed. Immobility of the thoracic spine can cause not only back pain but also contribute to neck, shoulder, and hip issues as these joints compensate for the lack of mobility in the thoracic spine.
Limitations in the thoracic spine are incredibly common, often because many of us sit while we work all day which causes our hips to tighten up and the thoracic spine to stiffen. Playing golf with stiff hips and a stiff thoracic spine leads to compensating by rotating through the lumbar spine.
Thoracic spine immobility increases the pressure, load, and compression on the lumbar spine resulting in lower back disc issues; reduces freedom of movement that restricts muscle function of the core and torso; and leads to faulty movement patterns such as early extension, a reverse pivot, hip sway, a top swing fault, and loss of distance and club head speed. Lack of thoracic spine rotation causes a shortened back swing and requires rotation through the lumbopelvic region. Rotating through the lumbopelvic region instead of from the thoracic spine and hips lead to compensatory movements like changes in leg movements, buckling of the knees inward, straightening of the knee, and excessive pelvic turn. These compensatory movements lead to reduced clubhead speed and increased risk of injury to the back, hip, and knees.
Exercises to Improve Your Thoracic Mobility
To improve your golf swing, it is essential to improve your thoracic mobility through targeted strengthening and range of motion exercises. Improving your thoracic mobility will help you rotate more easily into your back swing while taking stress off of your shoulders, neck, and low back. This reduces the fault of swaying off the ball during the back swing, allowing for an improved rotation-based swing, better contact with the ball, and more power in your swing.
In the video, Mangiarelli Rehabilitation physical therapist Mike demonstrates exercises to improve your thoracic mobility:
