Rehabilitation of Low Back Pain in Golfers: From Diagnosis to Return to Sport

CONTEXT: Low back injuries are the most common injury in golf. Best practice guidelines for rehabilitation and prevention of these injuries are helpful for health care professionals and all golfers. OBJECTIVE: To establish a best practice clinical model for low back pain in golfers from diagnosis through treatment and rehabilitation to return to golf. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: The PubMed database and Google Scholar were searched from 1993 to 2012 with the following keywords: golf and low back injury, low back injury, golf and low back pain, golf injury prevention, golf modern swing, muscles in golf swing, low back rehabilitation, diaphragm, and core stability. All studies addressed in some manner the rehabilitation, prevention, or return to sport from low back injury, preferably in direct relation to golf, as well as muscle firing patterns used during the golf swing. RESULTS: Best practice for rehabilitation and prevention of low back injury in golf appears to be through a multidisciplinary approach. CONCLUSION: Movement patterns, muscle imbalances, and type of swing utilized all have a direct effect on the forces applied to the spine during the golf swing and need to be assessed to prevent or rehabilitate injury. Understanding the golf swing and how the body works during the swing is necessary.