Is Your Job Killing Your Game?

The most commonly reported golf injuries involve the lower back, and many blame the golf swing. The truth is that having an improper “S-posture” on the tee is an indication of posture issues from earlier in the day. A Czech Republic therapist named Vladamir Janda was the first person to recognize what is called Lower Crossed Syndrome or in golf, S-Posture. This muscle imbalance is caused by the combination of weak and tight muscles and is often caused by sitting for long periods of time. This syndrome is a contributing factor to many major swing flaws and injury.

Here is how it works: when your muscles are inactive for a long period of time they become weaker and shorter, while others become tighter. Picture yourself sitting in a chair all day. Your hip flexors and lower back become shortened and tight from inactivity. As a result your gluts and abdominal muscles will also be affected from not being used. What picks up the slack? Your lower back! When you stand up to walk your hip flexors are basically on lock down, leaving your back to do all of the heavy lifting from a compromised position. Imagine these muscles getting worked this way five days a week, then bright and early you head to the course on Saturday.
The result is S-posture on the tee and an increased risk of injury. Weak gluts and tight hip flexors cause early hip extension, resulting in an inability to properly hit through the ball and follow through correctly. A tight back and weak abs also make it difficult to turn and stay down on the ball on both the back swing and the down swing.

The good news is that this particular syndrome is easy to fix through proper stretching and training. Below are four exercises that can be done regularly to decrease your risk of lower back injury, prevent S-posture and increase your flexibility and strength.

To combat your day job and get a step closer to your tour card, we suggest doing the following exercises three times a week.

Hip Flexor Stretch:

Place one knee on the floor and step forward with the other foot into a lunge.
Lean your weight forward into your front foot, lowering the hip of the back leg toward the floor. Try to keep the front foot flat throughout.


Glute Bridge:

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat, placing your hands at your sides.
Raise your hips off the floor, trying to make a straight line from your hips to your shoulders. Lower yourself back to the floor and repeat.


Knee to Chest Back Stretch:

Lie on your back with your feet up and your knees bent at 90 degrees holding behind your knees. Gently pull your knees to your chest, allowing your lower back to round slightly and repeat.

Reverse Crunch:


Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat, placing your hands at your sides.
Bring your knees into your chest with your legs bent, slightly rounding your lower back at the top position. Slowly lower your legs with your knees still bent to tap your heels on the floor and repeat.