what muscles can you pull in your hip playing golf

A groin pull is a stretching, tearing or even bruising of the inner thigh muscles, called the hip adductors. These muscles activate during a golf swing to move your hips toward the midline of your body. This movement happens first to shift your weight backward, and then again to shift forward during the down swing.

Full Answer

How important are your hips in your golf swing?

Rory McIlory is an excellent example of how important the hips are in generating speed and power through the golf swing. The average golfer spends at least 40 hours per week sitting behind a desk. When you add in the amount of time we spend on the couch binging Netflix, that number rises to about 60 hours a week.

What are the best hip stretches for golf?

The scorpion is one of those hip stretches for golf that not only targets the hips but also the shoulders. Plus it will help improve your rotational flexibility for the course. To perform the scorpion begin by lying face down on the ground with your arms stretched out to the side.

What is a hip flexor injury in golf?

The hip flexors are a group of three muscles that work together to move the hip. A hip flexor injury occurs when one or more of these muscles are strained or pulled. This is usually associated with athletes who participate in football, soccer, or track and field. This is not a common injury for a golfer, but it can happen on occasion.

What is hip pain in the golfer?

Hip pain is a less common complaint in the golfer but can be devastating to maintaining a fluid swing and creating power. The hip is the bridge of the body to the legs.

Can playing golf cause hip pain?

Hip pain from golf can result from swinging the golf club over and over, which puts pressure on the hip joint and surrounding muscles. Pain can be also exacerbated if the swing is not executed correctly or smoothly.

How do you know if you pulled a muscle near your hip?

pain that seems to come on suddenly. increasing pain when you lift your thigh toward your chest. pain when stretching your hip muscles. muscle spasms at your hip or thigh.

What does pulling a muscle in your hip feel like?

Many people who experience hip flexor strain will have these symptoms as well: sudden, sharp pain in the hip or pelvis after trauma to the area. pain when lifting the leg. cramping, stiffness, and weakness in the muscles of the upper leg area.

Can golf cause hip impingement?

Precautions for Golfers Impingement can occur in several locations within the joint, and therefore can affect the ability of the leg to rotate inward or outward, thus affecting either leg in the backswing or downswing.

How long does a pulled hip muscle take to heal?

Recovery time for minor tears to hip flexors takes around two or three weeks. More significant tears can take up to six weeks. Severe hip injuries and tears can take closer to eight weeks to heal. These times are based on working closely with your physical therapist and following their instructions.

How do you get rid of a pulled muscle in your hip?

Typically treatment for a pulled muscle in the hip is non-surgical and includes:Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation (RICE)Activity modification: Such as avoiding activities that worsen symptoms.Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen or naproxen can help reduce pain and swelling.More items...•

Which hip muscles hurt?

The gluteus medius muscle surrounds the hip from the buttocks to the bony point of the hip bone. This muscle lifts your leg to the side. Long-term wear and tear, an injury, or both can result in gluteus medius tears or tendonitis. This causes weakness and pain to the outside of the hip.

What are the symptoms of a torn hip flexor?

Symptoms of a hip flexor tear or strainPain when lifting the leg to the chest or stretching the hip muscles.Swelling, bruising or tenderness in the hip or thigh area.Muscles spasms in the thigh or hip that occur when walking or running.

What is golfers hip?

Hip pain in golf is often the result of repetitive motion, rotational torques, ball striking, and even the walking can create injuries to the body. The hip is vital to these activities in golf.

Can I play golf with a hip labral tear?

Potential Issues for Golfers with Labral Tears It is not uncommon to have a restricted backswing with a labral tear, as well as possible groin pain on the rear leg. If the labral tear is in the lead leg, a golfer may experience pain during both the backswing and the downswing.

Does golf cause piriformis syndrome?

High activity level sports such as skiing, tennis or long-distance bikers can cause piriformis syndrome. A golfers swing can also cause piriformis syndrome.

Why does my hip hurt?

The more common causes of hip pain come from wear and tear, overuse and possibly poor mechanics. These can create groin and lateral hip pain in the area of your pockets.

How to return to golf after injury?

Like any golf injury, playing through the pain infrequently creates a good outcome. Early recognition and treatment are the keys to returning to golf. Evaluation by an athletic trainer, physical therapist, physician or other health professional is important for a safe and efficient return to play. Keeping healthy hips can allow one to maintain the rotational torque needed for the swing, and hopefully, the bragging rights after the first drive.

Can hip surgery be prevented?

More serious hip pains—ones that may require surgery—may not be able to be prevented. Serious hip problems that require surgery may include: Labrum (or cartilage) tears and hip impingement may need minimally invasive (arthroscopic) hip surgery to alleviate symptoms.

Is golf a noncontact sport?

Golf is often thought of as a gentle, calm, non-contact sport that is easy on the body. In comparison to football or hockey, that may be true. However, golf has its moments of violence, power and strength that take a toll on the body. Hip pain in golf is often the result of repetitive motion, rotational torques, ball striking, and even the walking can create injuries to the body. The hip is vital to these activities in golf.

Can you play golf after hip replacement?

Although minimally invasive, this surgery may require significant time off of activities, including golf. Hip arthritis, if severe enough, may eventually need hip replacement surgery. This is not an end to golf however. The majority of people who had hip replacement are able to return to golf.

What muscles do you use to swing a golf club?

The motion of swinging a club also requires a great deal of control in your gluteal and adductor muscles to overcome the forces of repeated adduction, flexion and extension. Repetitively inflicting these forces during golf can cause injuries that make playing uncomfortable or even impossible. While muscle strains are a common cause ...

Why do golfers have hip pain?

Rotating your hips helps you achieve full upper body potential, and engaging your hips on the downswing can maximize your swing speed – allowing you an extra 15 to 20 yards! Because of the integral role your hips play in your swing , it’s no surprise that hip pain is common in golfers. In a recent medical survey published in the British Journal ...

What is the most powerful muscle in the body?

Hip adductors and hip extensors are powerful muscles, so the actions of adduction and extension are also quite forceful. Your hip is one of your largest weight-bearing joints; however, just moving your body causes loading stress on your bones and muscles.

Why does my hip hurt?

While muscle strains are a common cause of hip pain, there can be several other explanations as well. Other hip pain protagonists include tears in cartilage, which is the tough tissue that covers the ends of bones at the joint, as well as arthritis of the hip. Arthritis is a condition that causes painful inflammation of the joints, ...

How do hips work?

Your muscle motions include flexion, where the muscles move your knee closer to your chest, and extension movements where you straighten your leg to put your foot on the floor again. Your hip muscles are also responsible for abduction, when you move your leg to the side and away from the midline ...

Why are my hips sore during golf?

While your hip joints are usually sturdy during normal activities of daily living, they’re especially vulnerable to injury during golf because swinging a club requires your hips to do more pivoting and twisting than they’re used to.

How to prevent hip injury?

One of the best ways to prevent hip injuries is to warm up your muscles before picking up your clubs. Using correct form can also help you avoid hip injuries, as can improving the flexibility and strength of the muscles supporting your hip joint and socket. You can reduce your risk of hip pain by using proper swing form ...

Why are my hips so important in golf?

Our hips are designed for large ranges of motion and are one of the most important joints relative to the golf swing, but sitting behind a desk all week limits the hips’ ability to rotate effectively. Limited hip mobility hinders the ability to turn in the backswing and downswing. It also makes it difficult to generate speed and power.

Why are hips tight in golf?

It also makes it difficult to generate speed and power. Essentially, tight hips take away your ability to generate the required rotational force for a powerful golf swing. This is why mobilizing your hips daily is incredibly important for your golf swing, ...

How many hours does the average golfer spend behind a desk?

Getty Images. The average golfer spends at least 40 hours per week sitting behind a desk. When you add in the amount of time we spend on the couch binging Netflix, that number rises to about 60 hours a week.

How to get hip mobility?

1. Step Overs: Standing tall with your feet together, pick one leg up behind you and take a huge step, as if you were trying to step over a hurdle. Bring your foot to the ground and then repeat the same motion in reverse. You can use a golf club for balance support as needed.

Do hips lie when hitting the course?

What’s more, our bodies adapt to the conditions we expose them to. Under the conditions described above, we lose hip mobility, which means our hips won’t lie when we hit the course, no matter how much we might want them to.

What is the hardest hip stretch for golfers?

The double pigeon is the hardest hip stretch for golfers on this list simply because I have never been able to do. The double pigeon is unique in that it stretches both hips at the same time. Begin in a seated position with your torso tall. Bend one leg to approximately a 90-degree angle.

How many degrees does a golfer open his hips?

The guys over at GolfTec have measured 100’s of swings and in this graph we created we show you that the average pro opens their hips up at impact by over 36 degrees vs an average golfer of 24 degrees.

How to get hip flexibility?

Start by taking a lunge with one foot on the box and don’t let the knee pass the balls of your foot. Keep your torso vertical as you move your pelvis towards the box. Let yourself sink into the pose and as your hip flexibility improves sink deeper into the pose without forcing it. Hold for 1-3 minutes per side.

What is the hip opener?

11) Hip Opener Stretch. The hip opener is similar to the lizard pose in that it improves flexibility in the hips and the glutes. You will begin in a lunge position with one foot forward while the knee of your other leg rests on the floor behind you.

How to improve flexibility in golf?

4) The Butterfly Stretch. The butterfly stretch is one golfers like you should use to improve flexibility in the hips, adductors, groin, and lower back. To perform the butterfly you will begin sitting on the ground with your torso upright. Bring the soles of your feet together. Knees are push outwards and downwards.

How to stretch your back while playing golf?

You will begin by lying down on the ground with one foot flat against the wall and the knee at a 90 degree angle. Place the ankle of the opposite leg over your bent knee. The position is similar to crossing the legs while sitting at a desk. If you need a deeper stretch gently push your knee towards the wall.

What is the most dynamic hip stretch?

Of all the hip stretches for golf on this list, the 90 to 90 is the most dynamic because you will be constantly moving. You will start by sitting on the ground with your hips and knees at a 90 degree angle. The torso will be as straight as possible. Use a slow and controlled movement to switch from side to side.

What muscles do golfers use to rotate their hips?

In golf the hip is especially exposed to high-velocity internal rotation on the downswing, requiring a great deal of strength in the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius, two of the muscles that make up your butt.

What is the movement of the hips in golf?

The golfer rotates around the right hip, shifts their weight then rotates back around the left hip.

Why do golfers have hip injuries?

Interestingly golfers are suffering from a greater risk of hip injury, arising from the greater rotation favored by the more modern golf swing. This evolved to reduce the risk of back injury caused by the more classic swing of the seventies and eighties. If you are looking for more power and to avoid future injury you need to make sure the muscles around your hips are supporting you.

How to get better at golf swing?

Your hips and your swing. All golf swings come in many forms but one of the issues that kills speed is the lack of internal hip rotation. Sit on a chair and make two fists. Put the fists between your knees and keep your knees against your fists as you try and move your legs outward. This outward movement is internal hip rotation, ...

Why is the hip joint so vulnerable to injury?

As a result it is especially vulnerable to injury in sports that involve pivoting or twisting movements such as golf.

How many degrees of rotation does a tour player have?

Hey! Tour players have an average of over 60 degrees internal rotation, according to the statistics in your book.

What to check if you have a sway in your golf swing?

If you suffer from a sway or slide in your golf swing and lack the power you really want the first thing you need to check is your internal hip rotation. You can bet it will be limited if you suffer from the sway and slide swing fault.

What is a hip flexor?

By Darin McGilvra. The hip flexors are a group of three muscles that work together to move the hip. A hip flexor injury occurs when one or more of these muscles are strained or pulled. This is usually associated with athletes who participate in football, soccer, or track and field. This is not a common injury for a golfer, ...

Why does my hip flexor hurt?

Causes. The most common cause for a hip flexor injury is acute trauma. On the golf course, this can happen when swinging a golf club and hitting the ground, a tree or a rock and having the club suddenly stop.

How to check for hip flexor injury?

To check for a hip flexor injury, bring your knee on your injured leg up toward your chest while standing, then have someone push down on the leg while you resist. If this results in pain in the front of your hip, then a hip flexor injury is confirmed.

What to do after hip replacement surgery?

Most hip replacement surgeries are followed by physical therapy sessions. If it's not routinely offered, you should ask for physical therapy to speed your recovery and strengthen your body after surgery. Physical therapists and physicians are excellent guides.

How to heal a torn muscle?

Treatment usually involves rest and icing down the area. Careful stretching of the muscles for 30 seconds at a time can also help speed healing. In severe cases that involve the muscles being torn, a doctor may choose to repair it with a surgical procedure.

How to stop hip pain when playing golf?

You may be able to eliminate minor hip pain by changing the way you play your game. Learning the proper posture to keep when swinging -- with your back straight, feet planted shoulder-width apart, balance distributed equally on both legs -- can make a difference in the amount of strain you put on your back, hips and neck and can even improve your playing results. Swinging smoothly but not too hard also keeps your hip muscles and joints pressure-free.

How to get rid of a swollen hip?

One hip exercise you can try is sitting in a chair with your feet on the ground and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Place a ball -- the size of a basketball, soccer or kickball -- between your knees and use your upper leg muscles to squeeze. Hold the squeeze for up to 30 seconds.

Does golf cause hip pain?

In reality, golf demands a lot from your body. In addition to walking long distances from the first hole to the last, the high level of muscle control needed to execute a good shot is admirable. Golf creates its share of injuries. Hip pain is one symptom you may experience.

Is hip pain a golf injury?

According to the Sports Injury Bulletin, hip pain is a relatively new form of golf injury compared to past generations of golfers. Modern swing styles require a large amount of body rotation compared to a more restricted swing, which doesn't put as much strain on the hips.

Can golfers hurt their hips?

The symptoms of golf-related hip pain can vary in form and intensity, depending on what you have injured. Feeling your hip joint catch when changing position -- especially when rising from a sitting position -- can also be a type of hip pain experienced by golfers.

Should you stretch your hips before a round?

Stretching your hip muscles before you begin your round can prevent injury, no matter how you swing.

Can golf injuries be treated with icing?

Golf injuries vary in severity; minor muscle strain, tendinitis, bursitis or joint pain can be alleviated with rest, icing and over-the-counter pain relievers. These measures are almost identical to recommended treatment for arthritis of the hip, according to "American Family Physician." If hip pain continues after playing modifications and home care, more involved medical treatment may be required -- including physical therapy, surgical repair for torn muscles and tendons, or even hip replacement 3.

Why are hips important in golf?

Your hips also help you maintain your posture through your swing so you can deliver the clubhead to the golf ball at impact.

How to get hips to move?

Basically, you place a band around your hip joint and rotate your foot outward. Once you’ve gone as far as you can, you hold this position for two minutes. Then switch sides and repeat. This exercise will help you improve the mobility in your hips.

How to improve golf game?

Sitting on a chair, place a foam roller between your knees. Your femur should be at a 90 degree angle when you do this. Then slowly rotate your knee toward the foam roller as far as you can. Ideally, you should be able to get about 45 degrees of internal rotation. Anything less than that means you probably need to work on your hip mobility to improve your golf game.

How to determine hip mobility?

To determine the quality of your hip mobility, you can do an at-home hip internal rotation assessment that will help you figure out just how much mobility you have in your hips. To do this you will need a foam roller and a chair. Sitting on a chair, place a foam roller between your knees. Your femur should be at a 90 degree angle when you do this.

How to tell if Bubba Watson has a good golf swing?

Here’s how to check for a better golf swing. You can tell from Bubba Watson's hip turn that he has excellent hip mobility. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Hip mobility is crucial to a powerful, fluid golf swing. Your hips not only help you rotate effectively through your swing, but also help you generate power as you do.

How to get more mobility in golf swing?

With your arms locked out, rotate away from your body. This will translate extremely well to your golf swing. Make sure you keep your arms locked and choose an appropriate weight for this exercise. Doing these exercises three times a week will help you see massive mobility and strength gains come spring. fitness.

Can hip mobility affect golf?

Anything less than that means you probably need to work on your hip mobility to improve your golf game. Coach Johnny demonstrates the internal hip rotation mobility assessment. Improving your hip mobility and strength. Now that you’ve (probably) realized your hip mobility is worse than you thought it was and that it could be limiting your golf ...

How to avoid hitting a golf club with your left hand?

HOW TO AVOID INJURY: If you grip the club with your left hand in a weak position, the thumb down the top of the handle (above, 1), you risk having a flat or even bowed left wrist at impact. Instead, rotate your left hand away from the target about 30 degrees from that weak position. This will put the thumb at about 1:30 on an imaginary clock face, more down the right side of the grip, and create the slight cup you want in the wrist (2). — Johnson

What happens when you lock your knee in golf?

Many golfers square the left foot and lock the knee in an internally rotated position (right, 1), which leads to an increased shearing force on the knee joint. The typical injury is to the medial meniscus and can lead to degeneration of the articular cartilage and arthritis. — Andrews.

What happens when you swing a golf shot?

WHAT HAPPENS: A strained lower back is the most common golf injury, and the one most likely to shorten a career. The modern power swing is all about the rotation of the pelvis through the shot. The torque this creates between the pelvis and the lumbar spine pulls the ligaments, tendons and muscles in that area. Also, the shearing effect can wear away the discs between the vertebrae in the lumbar spine, leading to disc disease; that's the real career-ender. — Andrews

What is a labral tear in golf?

But labral tears (torn cartilage) are becoming common and often can be traced to the backswing. When golfers keep the left arm tight to the chest as they swing back, they can tear the labrum that stabilizes the shoulder joint. This is called a posterior labral tear, and the golfer feels pain in the back of the shoulder. — Andrews

Why do amateur golfers get injured?

Hank Johnson: I agree that most injuries to amateurs come from faulty technique, often because they overreach their capabilities. You have average players trying to copy tour players, and they get (a) frustrated and (b) hurt. After Dr. Andrews explains the injuries, I'll give you a setup or swing adjustment that takes some strain off that part of the body. These adjustments might move you away from the ideal biomechanics of the golf swing, but they'll help you do something even more important: Keep playing golf.

What is it called when you have tennis elbow?

It's called lateral epicondylitis , or tennis elbow. Golfer's elbow affects the inside of the trail arm and is caused by the repeated straining and rotation of that arm through impact, but it's less common. — Andrews. HOW TO AVOID INJURY: Many golfers confuse keeping the left arm straight with locking it (below, 1).

How to avoid injury in golf?

HOW TO AVOID INJURY: Players who don't turn well in the backswing tend to pin the left arm across the chest ( above, 1). Turning the upper body can be physically challenging for some golfers; others find it just plain scary, because they feel as if they won't get back to hit the ball.