Although golf is a low-impact sport, it’s associated with several injuries. Many golfing-related injuries are a result of poor mechanics or overuse. The most commonly injured area is the lower back. Other injured areas can include the elbow, wrist and hand, and shoulder.

Low back pain can be a common complaint found in golfers due to the full back swing and full downward rotational force of the swing. When you do that swing, there is a significant amount of force as placed on the facet joints of low back, which are the joints down here. Low back pain is typically seen in the lumbar vertebrae which includes the L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5, S1, is the sacrum which is what we consider your sit bone or your tailbone.  

The discs also have compressive forces when we do that sheer rotation, and when we rotate, you can see how there’s forces along the disk there. In a golf swing, there is a full back swing and also a full downward acceleration into a follow through. That rotary force is what places a lot of compression on these disks and facet joints which are on the side. 

Local Practitioners: Physiotherapist

In golfers, in a right-handed golfer, that left hip has to take a lot of adduction and flexion extension forces, and it needs to prevent that twisting of the hips through the golf swing.

Irrespectively, in a left-handed golfer it would be the right hip.  Pelvic malalignment or  leg length discrepancies may also play a factor in these asymmetries and imbalances of the muscles and ligaments as well. If you’re interested in preventative measures for hip pain, there are numerous things that can be done.

An adequate warm-up before going onto the course is very important in preventing strain on that hip starting with swings at a 50 percent level or half swings can be helpful in warming those tissues up before doing your maximal 100 percent effort.

Stretches once your muscles are warm to help lengthen and lubricate the joint, can also help prevent this strain that will be seen on the 18 holes that you’re going to play.

If people have inquiries about how to prevent hip pain or the proper exercises to do or even a proper golf swing technique in preventing the strain of the hip, you should contact your local physiotherapist or sport med doctor to guide you in this manner.

Local Practitioners: Physiotherapist

When people are experiencing hip pain from golf, some of the issues that may be are a weakness of the gluteal muscles or your butt muscles. There may be muscle imbalances that cause straining on one side more than the other. Weakness in this area can cause a strain or a pain in that hip joint. Another possible treatment is mobilizing that joint. 

People get tight hips a lot of the times from repeated motions without doing the opposite motion, and this may cause also another imbalance and pain within that hip joint. There are joint mobilizations that can help mobilize the joint or loosen up that hip joint. Stretches can be done to elongate the muscles that need to be stretched and strengthen the muscles that need to be stabilized.

Other things that can be done are core stability as the hip complex is very closely associated with your core muscles and also your gluteal muscles as I talked to you about earlier is very important in stabilizing that hip through the golf swing. 

If people have more questions about their hip pain and how this pain can be treated, you should go see your local physiotherapist or sport med doctor to get it properly diagnosed. Often seeing a local family physician or a physiotherapist in conjunction with a registered dietitian and athletic therapist is a great option to take control of this condition. Smart Food Now and exercise is also optominal for overall health.