Epidemiology of musculoskeletal injury in professional and amateur golfers: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Objective To determine the prevalence and incidence of musculoskeletal injury in amateur and professional golfers, and to identify common injury sites and factors associated with increased injury frequency. Design Systematic epidemiological review and meta-analysis. Data sources PubMed (Medline), Embase, the Cochrane Library and SPORTDiscus were searched in September 2023. Eligibility criteria Studies published in the English language reporting the incidence or prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries in golfers at all anatomical sites. Results 20 studies (9221 golfers, 71.9% male, 28.1% female) were included, with mean age 46.8 years. Lifetime injury prevalence was significantly greater in professional golfers (73.5% (95% CI: 47.3% to 93.0%)) than amateur golfers (56.6% (95% CI: 47.4% to 65.5%); relative risk (RR)=1.50, p<0.001). Professional golfers had a significantly greater lifetime prevalence of hand and wrist (RR=3.33, p<0.001) and lower back injury (RR=3.05, p<0.001). Soft tissue