One-third of all professional golfers have back pain at one time in their careers. It’s the most common musculoskeletal problem in both amateur and professional golfers. The golf swing is probably the cause of these troubles. Twisting at the top of the backswing, followed by the spine’s unwinding and extension during the downswing, put stress on the low back. Golfers with poor swing mechanics are at greatest risk for back pain.
The goal of this study was to find the exact biomechanical mechanism for low back pain in golfers. The authors thought it might be linked to decreased hip rotation in the lead hip. Decreased lumbar spine motion may be another possible cause.
Forty-two members of the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) were put into two groups. Group one had a history of low back pain lasting more than two weeks in the past year. Group two reported no back pain in the past year. At the time of this study, none of the players was having any back pain.
Range of motion (ROM) was measured for all players. Hip rotation of both hips and the lumbar spine was recorded. Other test measures included distance from fingertips-to-floor when bending forward and FABERE distance. FABERE is a test of hip outward rotation.
The authors report a positive link between loss of inward rotation in the lead hip with low back pain. Decreased lumbar extension is also positively linked. The other measures taken weren’t connected to back pain. Decreased ROM is often blamed for injuries in many sports. Golf just got added to the list.