Spine Talk

The Power Swing: Why it’s Causing Severe Back Injuries and Ending the Careers of Young Golfers The world’s top-ranked professional golfer is Jason Day. He is just 29 years old, 12 years younger than his mentor Tiger Woods, and may be nearing the end of his career due to a golf swing that is taking its physical toll on his back. Woods’ history of back injuries has been extensively chronicled, and due to these health problems, he appears to be at the end of his impressive professional career. The Professional Golf Association (PGA) tour has become a young man’s game, with five of the first six tour events in 2017 won by players between the ages of 22 and 24. However, these “young guns,” such as Day, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose, have all had recurring back injuries force them out of tournaments this year. What in the Name of Lee Trevino is Going on Here? In the words of that great Duke Ellington song from the 1940’s, “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing!” These ailing young golfers have several