In this post we discuss how to fix lead hip pain in golf using the interesting case study of a PGA pro.
Meet David. A former England golf international and tour pro, who played on both the U.S. and European tours. He’s currently the head PGA professional at West Herts Golf Club. Nice.
In common with over 19% of professional golfers, he was experiencing lead hip pain. This had progressively got worse over the last year.
We got to work.
Demands of the lead hip in golf
Your lead hip must go from an externally rotated position at the top of the back swing, to an internally rotated position at follow through.
It was clear that David’s painful hip was limited in both directions.
This meant he was likely taking his hip into positions he had little muscular control of during the swing.
This is a recipe for pain and has the potential to cause joint issues in the long term.
Where to start with a painful hip
We began with low intensity isometrics to stimulate the muscles responsible for the limited motions.
Isometrics are muscle contractions without movement of the joints they serve. They are a useful way to target muscles without the risk of further irritating angry structures.
This is the first step to regaining muscular control of your hip.
Within 3 sessions David was noticing a reduction in painful episodes.
Strength is the key to lasting change
Next, we began to carefully strengthen the muscles involved in both internal and external hip rotation, using the exercises mentioned in this post.
This is a critical next step in the process because lasting change comes from increasing the tolerance of those weaker muscles.
This will ensure they continue to perform throughout a round, from your first drive to your last.
It’s probably not just your hip
During the golf swing, many of your other joints also move through their entire range of motion.
Limitations can therefore have a knock-on effect.
If you have limits at your hip, you will almost certainly find other limits both above the hip and below.
This was the case with David. We found weakness in the muscles which rotated his trunk to the left, and in the muscles that extended his knee.
We set about strengthening these areas as well.
A happy ending
Fast forward a few weeks and I’m delighted to say David is back on the course, hitting drives without pain in his hip.
He recently completed 30 holes without pain in his hip either during or after play.
This demonstrates what’s possible with a thorough assessment and a details oriented approach to resistance training.
Summary
David’s story is a powerful reminder that lead hip pain in golf isn’t something you have to put up with.
By identifying movement limitations, rebuilding control with isometrics, and then strengthening the muscles of the hip, you too can play without pain.
Don’t let lead hip pain impact your golf and your hip in the long term.
Book a call to arrange an informal chat to see if I can help you.