Characteristics of spinal injury in professional golfers in South Korea: a nationwide cross-sectional study

Objectives To determine the golf-related characteristics of spinal injuries among professional golfers in South Korea.Design Cross-sectional survey study.Setting Online survey in South Korea.Participants A total of 439 professional active golfers (226 males and 213 females) in South Korea completed...

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Main Authors: Hong Jin Kim, Hyung Rae Lee, Seungyup Lee, Dong-Gune Chang, Jae Hyuk Yang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2025-06-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/6/e095700.full
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author Hong Jin Kim
Hyung Rae Lee
Seungyup Lee
Dong-Gune Chang
Jae Hyuk Yang
author_facet Hong Jin Kim
Hyung Rae Lee
Seungyup Lee
Dong-Gune Chang
Jae Hyuk Yang
author_sort Hong Jin Kim
collection DOAJ
description Objectives To determine the golf-related characteristics of spinal injuries among professional golfers in South Korea.Design Cross-sectional survey study.Setting Online survey in South Korea.Participants A total of 439 professional active golfers (226 males and 213 females) in South Korea completed our survey.Methods Data collected included experiences of cervical (C)-spine and thoracic and lumbar (T/L)-spine injuries, demographics and golf-related characteristics among Korean professional golfers. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore any potential factors of golf-related spinal injuries.Results A total of 33.7% (148 of 439) experienced total spine injury in professional active golfers, presenting 15.5% of C-spine injuries and 21.9% of T/L-spine injuries. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that left-handed (OR, 2.79; 95% CI, 1.20 to 6.47 compared with right-handed) and fingertips <5 cm apart (fair grade) in the shoulder reach flexibility (OR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.16 to 0.69) significantly influenced spinal injuries. Several factors such as age, golf-career years and body mass index were associated with time to injury, symptom duration and disability of spine injuries including C-spine and T/L-spine injuries.Conclusions Nearly 33.7% of Korean professional active golfers have experienced golf-related spinal injuries. These injuries appear to make left-handed golfers more vulnerable; however, adequate flexibility may offer protection against such injuries, suggesting the need for tailored preventative strategies based on individual biomechanical profiles.
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spelling doaj-art-2ba7948ad38146b0aaabe6baf66c85fc2025-08-20T03:45:44ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552025-06-0115610.1136/bmjopen-2024-095700Characteristics of spinal injury in professional golfers in South Korea: a nationwide cross-sectional studyHong Jin Kim0Hyung Rae Lee1Seungyup Lee2Dong-Gune Chang3Jae Hyuk Yang4Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital, Nowon-gu, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital, Nowon-gu, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Republic of KoreaObjectives To determine the golf-related characteristics of spinal injuries among professional golfers in South Korea.Design Cross-sectional survey study.Setting Online survey in South Korea.Participants A total of 439 professional active golfers (226 males and 213 females) in South Korea completed our survey.Methods Data collected included experiences of cervical (C)-spine and thoracic and lumbar (T/L)-spine injuries, demographics and golf-related characteristics among Korean professional golfers. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore any potential factors of golf-related spinal injuries.Results A total of 33.7% (148 of 439) experienced total spine injury in professional active golfers, presenting 15.5% of C-spine injuries and 21.9% of T/L-spine injuries. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that left-handed (OR, 2.79; 95% CI, 1.20 to 6.47 compared with right-handed) and fingertips <5 cm apart (fair grade) in the shoulder reach flexibility (OR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.16 to 0.69) significantly influenced spinal injuries. Several factors such as age, golf-career years and body mass index were associated with time to injury, symptom duration and disability of spine injuries including C-spine and T/L-spine injuries.Conclusions Nearly 33.7% of Korean professional active golfers have experienced golf-related spinal injuries. These injuries appear to make left-handed golfers more vulnerable; however, adequate flexibility may offer protection against such injuries, suggesting the need for tailored preventative strategies based on individual biomechanical profiles.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/6/e095700.full
spellingShingle Hong Jin Kim
Hyung Rae Lee
Seungyup Lee
Dong-Gune Chang
Jae Hyuk Yang
Characteristics of spinal injury in professional golfers in South Korea: a nationwide cross-sectional study
BMJ Open
title Characteristics of spinal injury in professional golfers in South Korea: a nationwide cross-sectional study
title_full Characteristics of spinal injury in professional golfers in South Korea: a nationwide cross-sectional study
title_fullStr Characteristics of spinal injury in professional golfers in South Korea: a nationwide cross-sectional study
title_full_unstemmed Characteristics of spinal injury in professional golfers in South Korea: a nationwide cross-sectional study
title_short Characteristics of spinal injury in professional golfers in South Korea: a nationwide cross-sectional study
title_sort characteristics of spinal injury in professional golfers in south korea a nationwide cross sectional study
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/6/e095700.full
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