03/25/2026
Low back pain is, by far, the most common ailment amongst golfers of ALL ages and abilities. What surprises most people, though, is that your low back is typically the victim and not the cause!
When the thoracic spine (aka mid back) and/or hips are not rotating well, our body will automatically try to find rotational motion from somewhere else - your lower back will almost always take the hit.
Eventually, this altered movement pattern will result in inflammation and pain.
These 4 mobility exercises are a good place to start if you’ve been dealing with low back pain during or after you play. As always, never force motion beyond your comfort level - listen to your body!
1. Thoracic Extension on Foam Roll - Support your head with your hands and engage your core to lock your pelvis in place. Slowly lean your upper body backward over the foam roll as far as comfortable. Be sure to hit all the levels of your mid/upper back.
2. Open Book Stretch - Keep your knees on the ground while you rotate your upper body as far as comfortable. If you can’t keep your front knee on the floor, you can place a yoga block or foam roll under it to lessen the tension in the lower body.
3. Trunk Rotation Sidebend - With your hands behind your head, rotate your upper body as far as possible to one side. When you reach your limit, slowly bend your trunk to the side and then rotate a little further. Continue until you max out your motion.
4. Hip Opener Progression - Start in a reclined position and slowly rock your legs from side to side trying to get your knees down to the floor. As your mobility improves, you can make this more difficult by bringing your upper body more vertical.
Once your mobility has improved, it is imperative that you work with a golf progressional to learn how to properly integrate your new found motion into your golf swing.
Comment “LOW BACK” to learn more about how my Golf Movement Analysis can identify areas of limited mobility that could lead to pain or inconsistencies on the course.
