Accounts of Spine and Paraspinal Disease while Playing Golf

Introduction: Golf, a non-contact sport, has been associated with spine disease largely because of the biomechanics associated with the swing. Due to its potential to cause significant change within the intervertebral disc, some describe golf as a contact sport. The true burden of this sport on the spine has yet to be defined. This study aimed to characterize the spinal and paraspinal pathologies associated with golf and their outcomes.

Methods: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) was queried for emergency department visits between 2003-2023 for golf-related injuries with body part codes “neck”, “upper trunk”, and “lower trunk”, which includes the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine, respectively. Narratives were screened for relevance and reports related to spinal and paraspinal injuries were included. Weighted survey analysis was utilized to construct national estimates. Injury and diagnosis trends were analyzed using binomial logistic regression. P-value of < 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: A total of 1441 relevant samples led to a national estimate of 69,153 emergency department visits for golf-related spinal-/paraspinal-injuries between 2003-2023. The weighted mean age of those injured was 52.8 years, and the majority were male (85%, 95% CI 83-87). Strain was the most diagnosed injury (57.5%, 95% CI 54-61). Those aged > 55 years constituted more injuries than any other age group (50.1%, 95% CI 47-53). Injuries in the lumbar region accounted for most cases (76.9%, 95% CI 74-80 ). Older age was associated with higher rates of sciatica (p < 0.01).

Conclusion : Golf-associated paraspinal injuries are more common than neurological injuries. This data suggests differing age-based trends that necessitate study into the mechanisms and onset of golf-associated spinal/paraspinal injuries.