Hip Rotational Velocities During the Full Golf Swing

Abstract

Since labral pathology in professional golfers has been reported, and such pathology has been associated with internal/external hip rotation, quantifying the rotational velocity of the hips during the golf swing may be helpful in understanding the mechanism involved in labral injury. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the peak internal/external rotational velocities of the thigh relative to the pelvis during the golf swing. Fifteen female, collegiate golfers participated in the study. Data were acquired through high-speed three dimensional (3-D) videography using a multi-segment bilateral marker set to define the segments, while the subjects completed multiple repetitions of a drive. The results indicated that the lead hip peak internal rotational velocity was significantly greater than that of the trail hip external rotational velocity (p = 0.003). It appears that the lead hip of a golfer experiences much higher rotational velocities during the downswing than that of the trail hip. In other structures, such as the shoulder, an increased risk of soft tissue injury has been associated with high levels of rotational velocity. This may indicate that, in golfers, the lead hip may be more susceptible to injury such as labral tears than that of the trailing hip.

Hip Joint Torques During the Golf Swing of Young and Senior Healthy Males

“…3 Previous research in female golfers has suggested that rotational hip torques may be higher in the lead hip secondary to higher rotational velocities compared to the trail hip. 9 However, these authors only reported hip velocities during the downswing phase. Our data partially support this finding, as we found that the peak lead-hip rotational torques occurred after ball contact (TABLE…”

“…Velocity of lead-hip internal rotation was found to be significantly greater compared to the trail leg in female collegiate golfers. 9 Because velocity and torque production are closely related, these findings suggest that the lead hip may be more susceptible to large hip torques. At the knee, peak torques, reported as percent body weight times height (BW·Ht), generally occur during the downswing and are larger in the lead knee (extension torque, 7.17%  2.0% BW·Ht) compared to the trail knee (flexion torque, 5.15%  1.2% BW·Ht).…”

Hip morphology in elite golfers: asymmetry between lead and trail hips

“…The different prevalence of cam morphology between golfers lead and trail hips, where there are asymmetrical movement patterns, adds weight to the concept that cam morphology develops prior to skeletal maturity in response to certain loading patterns. Trail hips in golfers have an external rotation moment as golfers drive 3. Roels et al 47 used finite element models to demonstrate that increased external rotation of the hip during adolescence stresses the anterosuperior portion of the femoral neck; promoting bone formation in the area that corresponds to where cam morphology is found in adults.…”

“…The lead hip (left hip in a right-handed player) moves rapidly, with a peak velocity of 228°/s, from external rotation at the end of the back swing to maximal internal rotation at the end of the downswing 3. Conversely, the trail hip rapidly rotates from internal rotation to external rotation with a peak velocity of 145°/s 3. Rotational forces of this magnitude, in a closed kinetic chain (weightbearing), place the hip at risk of soft tissue injuries such as labral tears 3.…”

“…Conversely, the trail hip rapidly rotates from internal rotation to external rotation with a peak velocity of 145°/s 3. Rotational forces of this magnitude, in a closed kinetic chain (weightbearing), place the hip at risk of soft tissue injuries such as labral tears 3. A recent systematic review reported the prevalence of hip injuries in golfers to be from 2% to 18% 4…”