Unlock Rotation, Gain Distance, and Keep Your Back Pain-Free
- Ryan Choi
- Nov 10
- 3 min read
For many golfers, back pain after a round feels like an inevitable consequence of the game. But here’s the truth — it’s not bad luck, and it’s not just your age. More often than not, it’s limited mobility in key areas. When your thoracic spine (mid-back) and hips can’t rotate enough, your lower back ends up doing the extra work. The result? Inconsistent ball striking, loss of power, and that familiar post-round stiffness.
The Power Chain in the Golf Swing
A powerful, efficient golf swing isn’t about arm strength alone. Watch the pros — their swings look smooth, fluid, and effortless. That comes from a seamless chain of motion from the ground up:
Feet & ankles – Provide stability and initiate movement.
Hips – Generate and transfer torque through the swing.
Thoracic spine – Allows the shoulders to turn over the hips without straining the lower back.
Lumbar spine – Stabilizes, anchoring the moving segments above and below during both backswing and follow-through.
When one link in the chain is stiff, rotation must come from somewhere else — most often the lumbar spine, which isn’t designed for large, repetitive twists. Rotation is key for distance, but only when it’s coming from the right joints.
The Thoracic Spine’s Role: Rib by Rib
Your thoracic spine has 12 vertebrae (T1–T12), each connected to a rib. This area is built for rotation, side bending, and slight flexion/extension:
T1–T4 (upper thoracic) – Initiates your backswing and keeps your arms moving freely while maintaining a stable head and neck.
T5–T8 (mid thoracic) – Major driver of rotation during both backswing and follow-through.
T9–T12 (lower thoracic) – Works with the ribs for side bending and extension during impact and finish.
When these segments are stiff, the lumbar spine compensates — twisting and arching more than it should — leading to pain and reduced swing efficiency.
The Hip Rotation Factor
Golf demands both internal and external hip rotation at different phases of the swing to generate power and protect the spine.
During the backswing:
Trail hip (right hip for right-handed golfers) – Needs internal rotation to load properly so the swing starts from the ground up.
Lead hip – Needs external rotation so the pelvis can turn freely over a stable lead leg.
During the follow-through and finish:
Trail hip – Needs external rotation to let the pelvis rotate through impact and into finish.
Lead hip – Needs internal rotation so the pelvis can “close” over the hip, anchoring your balance and control.
When either hip is stiff, your body finds rotation elsewhere, often from the lumbar spine, which increases stress and decreases efficiency.
How Overarching Hurts Your Back (and Your Game)
The lumbar spine has only about 13° of total rotation across all five vertebrae — far less than your thoracic spine or hips. When you force extra turn from your lower back, you often end up in Reverse Spine Angle — excessive arching at the top of the backswing. This happens when the thoracic spine can’t rotate enough, so the player compensates by hinging backward from the lower back.
Reverse Spine Angle increases stress on the lumbar spine by:
Reducing abdominal engagement
Increasing compressive load on the trail-side facet joints at impact
Over time, this repetitive stress can irritate spinal joints, strain muscles, and even contribute to disc issues.
How Physical Therapy Can Help
If you want more yards off the tee and less time recovering after a round, you need to address where your swing is coming from.
A golf-trained physical therapist can:
Assess your mobility, strength, and swing mechanics
Free up restrictions in your thoracic spine and hips
Introduce drills that help transfer mobility into your swing
Build stability in your lumbar spine so it can handle the forces of the game
The key is to think of your lumbar spine as a force transfer station — it moves, but its main role is stability. Let your thoracic spine and hips take the lead in rotation, and your swing will be both more powerful and pain-free.
