ArticleJournal of spine surgery (Hong Kong)2021
Return to golf after adult degenerative and deformity spine surgery: a preliminary case series of how surgery impacts golf play and performance.
Article in Journal of spine surgery (Hong Kong), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Back in the game: analyzing performance outcomes following spinal surgery in WNBA athletes.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Article
- Return to tennis following adult spinal deformity surgery: case series.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Article
- Return to Golf after corrective surgery in adult spinal deformity patients with long fusion constructs: A retrospective case series.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Article
- Guidelines for returning to activity after spinal deformity surgery.Spine deformity · 2025Review
- Return to sporting activities following long fusions to the pelvis in adult spinal deformity.The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society · 2024Article
- Vertebral Fracture in an Elderly Golfer.Cureus · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGolf is a commonly played sport among older adults, and degenerative and/or deformity spine pathology can severely impact older individuals' ability to play golf. In a cohort of self-identified, avid golfers undergoing degenerative or deformity spine surgery, we report their: (I) presentation, (II) operative treatment, and (III) return-to-play (RTP) process.
methodsA retrospective case series of self-identified, avid golfers undergoing spine surgery at a single institution from 2015-2019 was undertaken. Demographic, presenting, operative, RTP data, along with numerical rating scale (NRS) pain scores were collected. The first and full RTP time postoperatively, in addition to the following golf metrics: 18-hole rounds per month, handicap, and self-perceived effort/performance were obtained.
resultsA total of 6 golfers were included, 3 undergoing each degenerative and deformity operations. Mean age was 60 years, and 5 of 6 (83%) patients were female. All patients were self-identified, avid golfers with a mean experience of 31 years. Mean preoperative NRS back/neck pain was 9.7, which decreased to 0.8 postoperatively (P<0.001). Players undergoing smaller operations (lumbar fusion/cervical laminoplasty) returned to golf sooner than patients undergoing larger deformity corrections, with a mean first RTP of 4.3 months for degenerative patients
conclusionsAll patients returned to playing golf at or more frequently than their preoperative status. Degenerative patients returned to play sooner than deformity patients. All patients performed at a higher level after surgery, except for one high-level golfer whose handicap worsened slightly. These data provide baseline information for future prospective studies of golfers undergoing spine surgery.
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