Our own David J. Koehn of Boston Physical Therapy & Wellness in Medford was featured in today’s edition of the Boston Herald to highlight a few exercises key to golfers’ strength and stretching routines.
The Boston Herald approached Boston Physical Therapy & Wellness to support the ‘Tip of the Week’ leaving with this main point to drive home:
“Better stretching can mean better golfing.”
As explained in the Herald’s video, one of the most important pieces to the golf swing is the thoracic spine. This area is significant because it allows for a wider shoulder turn, which will help golfers develop more power in their swing.
Below is a recap of two exercises recommended to golfers to increase mobility of the mid-spine, and improve their overall golf game through a strengthened backswing and follow-through.
(Watch full video on the Boston Herald’s site here.)
1. Open Book Stretch
To assist with the mobility of the mid-spine, perform this exercise daily 10x per side.
- Lie down on your side, with head on the ground and hands together, and arms out in front of you.
- Bring your knees in close to your chest.
- Keep your stomach nice and tight, stabilize your lower lumbar (lower spine) and focus on isolating motion in your thoracic region only.
- Keeping the bottom hand pinned to the ground, take your top arm only and slowly bring it across as far as you can to the other side of the floor, following your hand with eyes the whole time.
- Return to start and repeat this 10 times.
Adaptation: If you are struggling to isolate movement to just the thoracic region and find your whole body use your bottom hand to pin your thighs down, and perform exercise identical to above, keeping your bottom hand stabilizing your thighs.
2. A Frame Stretch
To assist with the mobility of the mid-spine, perform this exercise before you tee off 10x per side.
- Stand with your legs shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent and look straight ahead.
- Take your left arm and hold your right thigh, placing your left elbow on right above your knee on your left thigh. Focus on stabilizing your lower body.
- With the club in your right hand, start with your arm in front of your body and slowly raise it above your head, following the club with your eyes and concentrating on opening your chest up. Ensure you are not turning your hips, or moving your lower body and repeat this 10 times on each side.
As a practitioner of Physical Therapy for the past 14 years, and experience working with a wide range of athletic populations from high level high school athletes to teams in the NFL, NHL and NCAA – Dave brings a wealth of knowledge of sports injury rehabilitation, physical therapy, and performance training. He also brings a unique expertise in golf performance enhancement warranted by Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) Level 3 Medical Professional training and certification.
For more information about Golf Performance Enhancement programs, or for golf-specific physical therapy questions email davidk@bostonptwellness.com or visit Boston Physical Therapy & Wellness at Boston Physical Therapy & Wellness 275 Mystic Ave Suite C Medford, MA 02155 (781) 874-9294.
