The golf swing is one of the most biomechanically complex movements in sport. In roughly 1.5 seconds, your body coordinates over 600 muscles, generates rotational speeds exceeding 100mph at the clubhead, and channels enormous forces through your spine, hips, shoulders, and wrists. When it works, it's poetry. When it doesn't, it's a trip to our clinic. Let's break down what happens during a golf swing — and the injury hotspots where things commonly go wrong.
The Address Position
Before you've even swung, problems can start. A rounded upper back (thoracic kyphosis), anterior pelvic tilt, or locked knees at address all set the stage for compensatory movement patterns throughout the swing. Common issue: Lower back pain from excessive lumbar lordosis (arching) at setup. We see this particularly in golfers who spend long hours sitting at desks during the week.
The Backswing
During the backswing, your lead shoulder internally rotates and horizontally adducts while your trail hip externally rotates and loads. Your thoracic spine rotates approximately 45 degrees while your lumbar spine should rotate minimally — around 5–10 degrees at most. Common issue: If your thoracic spine lacks mobility, your lumbar spine over-rotates, creating shearing forces on the facet joints and discs. If your trail hip lacks external rotation, your knee may collapse inward, stressing the medial collateral ligament.
The Transition and Downswing
This is where the magic — and the danger — happens. The downswing begins from the ground up: feet, knees, hips, then trunk and arms. Peak compressive forces on the lumbar spine during the downswing can reach 8 times your body weight in professional golfers. Common issue: 'Early extension' — where your hips thrust toward the ball instead of rotating — is one of the most common swing faults and a primary driver of lower back injuries. It typically results from poor hip mobility or weak gluteal muscles.
Impact
At impact, your lead wrist is in slight extension, your lead arm is roughly straight, and enormous forces travel up from the clubhead through your hands, wrists, and forearms. Ground reaction forces peak as you drive through the ball. Common issue: Golfer's elbow (medial epicondylitis) from repetitive impact stress, particularly when hitting from firm lies, thick rough, or taking divots. Wrist injuries — including hook of hamate fractures in serious cases — occur from fat shots or striking hidden roots and rocks.
The Follow-Through
Your trail shoulder now internally rotates aggressively while your spine moves into combined extension and lateral flexion (the 'reverse C' position). Your lead hip absorbs massive deceleration forces. Common issue: The 'reverse C' finish position places enormous compressive and shearing load on the right side of the lumbar spine (for right-handed golfers). Shoulder impingement and labral tears can develop in the trail shoulder from the extreme internal rotation.
What Can You Do About It? Understanding where your swing creates stress is the first step. The second is ensuring your body can handle those demands. This means adequate thoracic spine mobility to protect your lower back, sufficient hip rotation to allow a proper turn, strong activated glutes to stabilise your pelvis, forearm and wrist conditioning to absorb impact forces, and core stability to control the enormous rotational forces.
Book a Biomechanical Golf Assessment at our clinic. We'll analyse your movement patterns, identify your specific risk areas, and create a targeted programme to keep you on the course — not on the treatment table.