Let's see...where were we before I went off, chasing 'mavericks'? Oh yes, self myofascial release!
I've been promising and promising you all that we would get down to business, so to speak, and get working on some exercises. Guess what? Today is the day!
First however, a quick review (shocking huh?).
In my last post we learned about the physiology that is behind the 'magic' of self myofascial release techniques (SMR). We pulled back the curtain, and saw that there are intelligently-designed receptors that serve as protective mechanisms, doing their best to prevent our muscles from being torn.
Today I introduce you to yet another receptor known as the muscle spindle. The muscle spindle works to increase muscle tone, while the golgi-tendon organ actually relaxes muscle tissue. The process by which the muscle spindles work, is known the stretch reflex.
Have you ever been driving late at night, and started to doze off...or have you witnessed someone do this? Thankfully, many sleep-driving accidents are thwarted by muscle spindle activity, and the stretch reflex. You see...as you begin to tire, your head tips forward resulting in a relatively quick stretch of the muscles on the back of your neck. When this happens, the muscle spindles sense this stretch, and as a protective mechanism, they create tension within the muscle to prevent it from stretching too far, and possibly tearing. This tension in the muscle quickly returns the head to an upright position, which is what causing the 'bobbing' motion seen in the video below.
Physiologically speaking, there is a great deal more going on with both the muscle spindles and the golgi-tendon organs, than what I have taught you so far...but you really just need to know the basics to understand how and why SMR techniques work.
Now...onto the exercises!
This entire long, drawn-out series began by discussing the importance of proper thoracic mobility, and the performance/injury reduction benefits that it provides for golfers...remember?
So let's look at a couple of SMR techniques that you can use to improve your thoracic mobility.
Have you made your tennis ball peanut yet? If so you will notice that there is a channel formed between the two balls. This channel is where your vertebrae will 'rest' while performing the exercise. The tennis balls will provide the stimulus (tension) to the muscles that run along the sides of the spine.
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| Your vertebrae will 'rest' in the channel between the two tennis balls |
In the first video, the athlete is using the tennis ball peanut to release overactive muscles within the thoracic spine. To do this, sit on the floor and place the peanut just below your shoulder blades. This is the first vertebrae below the scapulo-thoracic joint (STJ). Remember, the STJ is designed to be stable, so DO NOT place the peanut on your shoulder blades. Our goal is to improve mobility in the thoracic region below the STJ. While watching the video below, you will note that the athlete performs two or three small abdominal crunches while 'resting' against the peanut. Once he has completed the crunches, he lies flat against the peanut, and alternately performs a few arm flexion/extension movements.
I have used the term rest while describing this exercise however, I must be completely honest with you...this exercise and the term 'rest' really do not belong in the same sentence...in fact, they don't belong in the same paragraph! This exercise will not be comfortable! You need to understand that the muscles you are targeting have (most likely) never been addressed like this before. Therefore, they are going to be very tender until they have been 're-trained' and released of their tension. Once this occurs however, the tenderness will be reduced significantly...I promise!
Once you perform a set of crunches and arm 'swings' on the vertebrae just below the shoulder blades, move the peanut down one vertebrae, and repeat the movements. Follow this procedure downward, vertebrae by vertebrae, until the peanut is located just above your lower back. DO NOT...I repeat DO NOT perform this on your lower back!
If you find this exercise to be too uncomfortable to perform, you can begin with a less-advanced exercise...but you will need to purchase a foam roll first. You have clicked on the Trigger Point Therapy link above by now...right?
The next video demonstrates the use of a foam roller to prepare the muscles of the thoracic spine for more advance mobility exercises. Rolling the t-spine in this manner helps to relax the muscles more superficially prior to diving in and attacking them more deeply. This technique can be used prior to the tennis ball peanut as well. Note that you can modulate the amount of pressure being applied to your back by changing the position of your hips. By elevating your hips off of the floor, more pressure is applied to the foam roller. Conversely, by placing your hips in contact with the floor, less pressure is applied. Play with your hip position to find the perfect amount of pressure for you.
This next video demonstrates the use of a foam roller to perform your thoracic crunches on, rather than the tennis ball peanut. This technique causes less discomfort, and can be used to progress into the tennis ball peanut version of the exercise.
Alright...we're making progress here! Whether you choose the tennis ball peanut or the foam roll, understand that you are working to improve one aspect of thoracic mobility...mobility in the sagittal plane (forward/backward). There are three planes of human movement (sagittal, frontal, transverse) however, and the sport of golf requires adequate thoracic mobility in each of these planes of movement. What does that mean? It means that we have more exercises to perform!
Think about the golf swing for a moment. When a golfer addresses the ball, he bends (flexes) at the hips, knees, and ankles as he stands over the ball, preparing to swing. Optimally, the back should remain nice and flat, both at address and during the swing itself. Unfortunately (as we have discussed previously) our American-Posture tends to be one which includes constant thoracic flexion...rounded back and shoulders.
The rounded back is due to the muscles of the thoracic spine having adapted to the position they spend the most time in. Remember that concept...adaptive shortening? The exercises shown above serve to release those shortened muscles, thereby allowing them to be lengthened and return proper flat-back posture.
The pictures below illustrate the difference between a flat-back and a rounded-back while addressing the ball. Which one looks more athletic to you?
Unfortunately, the majority of amateur golfers have posture similar to that of the golfer in the red shirt. This is the result of both poor thoracic mobility, and poor hamstring flexibility (which we will address in the next post).
The other aspects of thoracic mobility that we need to address are frontal-plane and transverse-plane mobility. So let's dive in!
Frontal-plane movement refers to lateral movements such as side-shuffling and side-bending. Within the game of golf, not much side-shuffling occurs, but there is a need to be able to side-bend. Transverse-plane movement refers to rotational movement patterns, much of which (in sport) takes place amidst the hips and spine relationship.
While the act of side-bending is not really prevalent in the golf swing, the ability to side-bend (laterally flex) provides for a greater degree of rotational movement, therefore exercises to improve lateral flexion will aid in the development of thoracic rotation, and the ability to create greater power and an improved follow-through.
Below you will find some examples of lateral flexion exercises which can be easily incorporated into your new routine.
These are relatively simple exercises...in fact, many of us learned them as kids in PE class, but have failed to incorporate them into our lives as adults.
The next plane of movement to address is the transverse-plane...rotation. The video below is an example of a great exercise to improve both thoracic rotation and shoulder mobility.
The next video demonstrates another thoracic rotation exercise, but this one is performed while standing rather than lying on the ground. I like this one due to its similarity to the golf swing however, I feel it may be best performed after you have developed the ability to perform the lying 90-90 T-Spine stretch shown above. While this is a great exercise, I am not impressed with the execution by the athlete in the video. This movement should be performed in a much more controlled manner, while keeping the hips still. This provides an inverse relationship between the torso and the hips...which mimics their relationship during the golf swing.
Ok! Finally we have learned some exercises that will help to improve golf performance and reduce the potential for injury. In my next post I will discuss the importance of hamstring flexibility, and the role it plays in a proper golf swing.
Until then...make up a tennis ball peanut, and click on the Trigger Point Therapy banner above to order yourself some SMR tools! I promise it will pay huge dividends!
Yours in Health and Performance,
John
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