Why Your Hip Starts Hurting in the Middle of Golf Season

By Dr. Wade Roberts, PT, DPT
RobertsPT

By the middle of golf season, we begin seeing another common trend.

Golfers who started the season feeling great suddenly notice stiffness getting out of the cart, soreness after walking 18 holes, pain during the follow-through, or aching in the outside or front of the hip that wasn’t there a month ago.

Most assume it’s simply arthritis or getting older.

In reality, the hip is often telling us that it’s no longer moving the way it should.

The Three Most Common Hip Problems We See

At RobertsPT, the majority of golf-related shoulder injuries fall into three categories:

• Rotator cuff tendinitis
• Biceps tendinitis
• Shoulder impingement

While these diagnoses sound different, they often have the same underlying cause.

The shoulder is compensating for limitations somewhere else in the body.

At RobertsPT, the majority of golf-related hip pain falls into three categories:

• Hip osteoarthritis
• Gluteal tendinopathy (greater trochanteric pain syndrome)
• Hip impingement (FAI)

While these diagnoses are different, they often share the same underlying problem.

The hip has gradually lost mobility, forcing other joints and muscles to compensate throughout the golf swing.

What Your Golf Swing Has To Do With It

One of the most common swing characteristics we see in golfers with hip pain is an inability to rotate around the lead hip.

Instead of rotating efficiently through impact, many golfers begin sliding laterally, hanging back on the trail leg, or spinning excessively through the lower back.

These compensations don’t just reduce consistency and distance.

They place tremendous stress on the hips and lumbar spine.

In many cases, the swing isn’t causing the pain.

The swing is adapting to physical limitations that have developed over time.

The Body Restrictions We Find Most Often

During our golf evaluations, several movement limitations consistently appear in golfers with hip pain:

• Limited hip internal rotation
• Limited hip extension
• Reduced thoracic spine rotation
• Poor single-leg balance and glute strength

When the hips can’t rotate, something else has to.

Most often, that’s the lower back…or the hips themselves.

Over thousands of swings each season, those compensations eventually become painful.

The Secret to Healthy Hips

One of the biggest secrets to reducing hip pain isn’t simply strengthening the hip.

It’s restoring the mobility that allows the hips to rotate naturally throughout the golf swing.

Healthy golfers generate power from the ground up.

That requires hips that can rotate freely, transfer force efficiently, and allow the upper body to stay balanced throughout the swing.

When that movement returns, golfers often notice more than just less pain.

They frequently gain clubhead speed, strike the ball more consistently, and finish their rounds feeling better than they have in years.

Don’t Just Treat the Hip

If your hip has started aching during golf season, don’t assume it’s something you simply have to live with.

The real question is:

Why has your hip stopped moving the way it was designed to?

That’s exactly what we help golfers answer every day.

We’ll identify the movement restrictions contributing to your pain, improve the mobility that’s limiting your swing, and help you return to playing comfortably and confidently.

Most of our clients have tried some version of ‘hip mobility’ drills they see on Instagram or Youtube with minimal to no transferable change to their game. 

This is because almost always having a hands-on approach first to ‘release’ the tissue is the key to getting the hip moving THEN you can potentially supplement with your online drills you’ve found.

Because the goal isn’t just to finish this season.

It’s to stay in the game for life.

Wondering how well your hips are moving and get some release work done?

Schedule a Golf Mobility Assessment with RobertsPT and let one of our Doctors of Physical Therapy evaluate your hips, thoracic spine, balance, strength, and golf-specific movement patterns.

Less hip pain.

More rotation.

More fairways and greens.

FREE MOBILITY SESSION

Ready to take a look at what may be holding you back? 

Schedule your free 20-minute mobility session below! 

Ready to fast-track your progress?

Schedule an intro call and we’ll identify which rotary center is actually holding you back.