Rotate from the ribs, not the lower back.

Most golf back pain is the lumbar spine doing the thoracic spine's job. Play the swing, then switch on stiff hips or a stiff mid back and watch where the load goes.

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AddressRight-handed golfer, 7-iron

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0°Hip turn

0°Shoulder turn

0°X-factor

Lumbar rotation

0° of 10°

ComfortableWorkingOver capacity

The lumbar spine is built for about 10 degrees of rotation in total.

What if…

Hip mobility 100% Turn away from the ball. Take it down and the trunk makes up the rest.

Mid-back mobility 100% Thoracic rotation. Less here and the lumbar spine picks it up.

Your numbers

Degrees at the top, from a lesson or a launch monitor.

Hip turn Shoulder turn

Tap a body part

Pick where it hurts on the 3D body and we will build a plan for it.

Warm me upFirst-tee warm-up, 7 minutes, no floor work My back hurtsThree questions, then a plan for right now Cool me downPost-round, 6 minutes at the cart My elbow hurtsGolfer’s elbow: the rehab, properly dosed

10°

Lumbar spine

Five big vertebrae built for bending and bracing, not turning. About 10 degrees of rotation in total, a couple per level, and every degree past that is borrowed from the joints and discs.

25°

Thoracic spine

Twelve vertebrae with ribs attached, and roughly 25 degrees of rotation each way, well over twice the lumbar spine. This is where the turn should come from. Desk life eats into it, and the swing has to find the rest somewhere.

40°

Hips

Each hip should rotate inward roughly 35 to 45 degrees. That is the trail hip on the way back and the lead hip through impact. Stiff hips sway and slide, and the back pays.

Uncoil gives general exercise and injury-prevention guidance for golfers. It is not medical advice and cannot examine you. If you are unsure, in a lot of pain, or any of the "see someone" signs apply, get assessed by a doctor or physiotherapist. Privacy · Terms

Anatomy adapted from BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Modified: a subset of skeletal structures was selected, simplified and re-rigged for animation. Adult male reference anatomy, not a scan of you. Via Human Atlas (MIT). Full notice: ATTRIBUTION.md.