Nearly 16% of Australian amateur golfers may expect to sustain a golf-related injury per year. The injuries in golf are most likely sustained in the lower back region as a result of the golf swing. The lower back was the most common injury site (18.3%), closely followed by the elbow/forearm (17.2%), foot/ankle (12.9%), and shoulder/upper arm (11.8%). A total of 46.2% of all injuries were reportedly sustained during the golf swing, and injury was most likely to occur at the point of ball impact (23.7%), followed by the follow-through (21.5%). Based on statistical analysis, only the amount of game play and the last time clubs were changed were significantly associated with the risk of golf injury. Other factors such as age, gender, handicap, practice habits, and warm-up habits were not significant. (McHardy A. Pollard H. Luo K. One-year follow-up study on golf injuries in Australian amateur golfers. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 35(8):1354-60, 2007).
In another study of 12 golfers, the myoelectric activity of the lumbar erector spinae (low back spinal muscles) and the external obliques (abdominal wall muscles) was recorded via surface electromyography, while the golfers performed 20 drives. The results showed that the low-handicap low back pain (LBP ) golfers tended to demonstrate reduced erector spinae activity at the top of the backswing and at impact and greater external obliques activity throughout the swing. The high-handicap LBP golfers demonstrated considerably more erector spinae activity compared with their asymptomatic counterparts, while external obliques activity tended to be similar between the groups. The reduced erector spinae activity demonstrated by the low-handicap LBP group may be associated with a reduced capacity to protect the spine and its surrounding structures at the top of the backswing and at impact, where the torsional loads are high. When considering this with the increased external obliques activity demonstrated by these golfers, it is reasonable to suggest that these golfers may be demonstrating characteristics/mechanisms that are responsible for or are a cause of LBP. (Cole MH. Grimshaw PN. Electromyography of the trunk and abdominal muscles in golfers with and without low back pain. Journal of Science & Medicine in Sport. 11(2):174-81, 2008 )
Performance was affected in 78.9% of cases, with 69.7% of the injured golfers missing games or practice sessions due to injury. Golfing injuries appear common and have a substantial impact upon the injured golfer. As lower back strains are the most common injury, strategies such as performing an appropriate warm-up could be investigated to determine the possible injury prevention benefits for golfers.
Many of these individuals have pre-existent back problems and have frequented chiropractors. Re-injury to previously injured nerve roots and muscles predispose these individuals to chronic pain.