Golf-related injuries treated in United States emergency departments

Walsh, Brittany A.; Chounthirath, Thiphalak; Friedenberg, Laura; Smith, Gary A.

doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2017.05.035

Cited by 10 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…In the present study, the most common injuries were associated with cart accidents (44.6%), falls/tripping (29.2%), and swinging/golf club mechanics (10.4%). These findings are similar to those of Walsh et al 2017, 23 who reported that approximately half of golf-cart related injuries were due to either falls or cart accidents. This is likely due to a lack of safety features and oversight on golf carts, which fail to prevent driver or passenger falls.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Although this may be a marginal overrepresentation for female golfers, the findings of the present study are largely in agreement with previously published data on golf-related injuries, in which male golfers are affected disproportionately and there is a bimodal distribution for injury by age. 1-5,10, 23 Specifically for age, participants begin in adolescence but tend to play more frequently as they grow older and therefore have an increased risk of injury, which supports the bimodal age distribution of injuries described in the present study. 26 Walsh et al 23 validated these findings using the NEISS database from 1990 to 2011, again reporting a bimodal age distribution of injury that was disproportionately male.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

“…Thus, the high force of impact associated with cart injuries or falls/tripping may lead to a high incidence of accidental, acute UE injuries. 23 While our data focus on acute injury, other commonly proposed mechanisms of injury include chronic overuse, equipment malfunctions, or being struck by a golf ball on the course. 1,11,14,17,18 To this point, chronic overuse affects predominantly more skilled and professional golfers, while amateur golfers tend to incur acute injury secondary to poor mechanics or accidental trauma.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While our study did not explicitly stratify competition level or subanalyze specific muscle groups related to UE injury, the current investigation supports the previous literature, demonstrating that the most common golf-related injuries of the UE joints are the shoulder, forearm, and wrist. 1,4,11,14,17,[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] The present study has significant limitations. Most importantly, the number of injuries and rates are estimates only because of the use of the NEISS database.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Estimates of Golf-Related Upper Extremity Injuries in the United States: A 10-Year Epidemiology Study (2011-2020)

Twomey‐Kozak

Boadi

Rodriguez

et al. 2023

Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach

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Background: Golf is one of the most popular sports in the United States (US) and is played by participants of all ages and skill level. Given the popularity and sport-specific demands on the upper torso, golf poses a considerable risk for upper extremity (UE) injuries. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to (1) determine the incidence rate of UE golf injuries presenting to emergency departments (EDs) in the US, (2) determine the most commonly injured body parts and mechanisms of injury, and (3) compare current injury epidemiology with previous trends in the literature. Hypothesis: Male sex, bimodal age extremes (young and elderly), and utilization of golf carts (vs walking) are associated with a higher incidence of golf-related UE injuries. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Methods: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) is a statistically validated injury surveillance system that collects data from ED visits as a representative probability sample of hospitals in the US. We queried the NEISS for the years 2011 to 2020 to examine the following variables for golf-related UE injuries: sociodemographic, diagnosis, body part, and mechanism of injury. Results: From 2011 to 2020, there were a total of 1862 golf-related UE injuries presenting to participating EDs, which correlates to an estimated 70,868 total injuries. Overall, male golf players were disproportionately affected (69.2%) versus female golf players (30.8%) and the most commonly injured age groups were those aged >60 and 10 to 19 years. The most common injuries included fractures (26.8%), strains/sprains (23.4%), and soft tissue injuries (15.9%). The joints injured most frequently were the shoulder (24.8%), wrist (15.6%), and joints in the hand (12.0%). The most common mechanisms of injury were cart accidents (44.63%), falling/tripping (29.22%), and golf club swinging/mechanics (10.37%). Conclusion: Golf-related UE injuries can be acute or due to chronic overuse. Male athletes >60 years of age were the population most commonly presenting to the ED with a golf-related injury. Further, the shoulder, forearm, and wrist were most commonly injured. These findings are consistent with previous epidemiological trends in the literature. Interventions to reduce the incidence of injury should be sport-specific and focus primarily on equipment and golf cart safety and swing modification to optimize the biomechanical function of the UEs. Clinical Relevance: Our findings indicate that golf-related injury prevention programs should target UE injuries, particularly among young (<19) and older (>60 years) golfers with poor swing mechanics.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Estimates of Golf-Related Upper Extremity Injuries in the United States: A 10-Year Epidemiology Study (2011-2020)

Twomey‐Kozak

Boadi

Rodriguez

et al. 2023

Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach

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“…Although injuries occur in all age groups in golf, the frequency and rate of injuries were higher at both ends of the age spectrum. Given that patients older than 55 have higher rates of injury and hospitalization, this age group deserves special attention in injury prevention efforts ( Walsh et al, 2017 ). Recommendations for return to golf should carefully consider the unilateral nature of the injury ( Baker et al, 2017 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Golf-related sports injuries of the musculoskeletal system

Moon¹,

Kim²

2023

J Exerc Rehabil

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The purpose of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of golf-re-lated musculoskeletal injuries. Golfers were retrospectively surveyed through a 50-item questionnaire. Golfers were divided into injured and noninjured groups according to the presence or absence of musculo-skeletal injuries. Of the 208 respondents, 64.0% suffered golf-related in-juries, most of which were minor injuries caused by overuse in the early 9.9 weeks. According to the anatomical distribution, the most injured parts were upper limbs, spine, trunk, and lower limbs in that order. As for the distribution by part, the hand and wrist were the most vulnera-ble, and the lateral elbow damage was 3 times more common than the inner elbow. Self-management for injuries was the most common treat-ment, and regular preventive exercise accounted for 30% of the injured. Overall, more than half of the respondents suffered from musculoskele-tal injuries, self-management was the most common, and less than one-third did regular exercise to prevent injuries. Therefore, active manage-ment to prevent golf-related musculoskeletal injuries may be necessary.

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