Accounts of Spine and Paraspinal Injury While Playing Golf.

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Orthopedics
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The golf swing places significant stress on the spine and paraspinal muscles.
• Understanding golf-related spinal and paraspinal injuries is crucial for injury prevention and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the incidence, demographics, and outcomes of spinal and paraspinal injuries associated with golf.
• To analyze trends in golf-related spinal injuries over time.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) from 2003-2023.
• Included emergency department visits for neck, upper trunk, and lower trunk injuries related to golf.
• Employed weighted survey analysis, binomial logistic regression, and linear models for trend analysis.

Main Results:

• Estimated 69,153 golf-related spinal/paraspinal injuries, with a mean age of 52.8 years; 85% were male.
• Lumbar region injuries were most common (76.9%), with strain as the leading diagnosis (57.5%).
• Individuals aged 55 and older accounted for the majority of injuries; injury frequency remained stable, but the age of injury increased over time.

Conclusions:

• Golf-associated paraspinal injuries are more prevalent than neurological injuries.
• Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms and onset of these injuries.
• The increasing age of injured golfers highlights the need for age-specific injury prevention strategies.