TY - JOUR T1 - Hip morphology in elite golfers: asymmetry between lead and trail hips JF - British Journal of Sports Medicine JO - Br J Sports Med SP - 1081 LP - 1086 DO - 10.1136/bjsports-2016-096007 VL - 50 IS - 17 AU - Edward Dickenson AU - Philip O'Connor AU - Philip Robinson AU - Robert Campbell AU - Imran Ahmed AU - Miguel Fernandez AU - Roger Hawkes AU - Hutchinson Charles AU - Damian Griffin Y1 - 2016/09/01 UR - http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/17/1081.abstract N2 - Aim During a golf swing, the lead hip (left hip in a right-handed player) rotates rapidly from external to internal rotation, while the opposite occurs in the trail hip. This study assessed the morphology and pathology of golfers’ hips comparing lead and trail hips.Methods A cohort of elite golfers were invited to undergo MRI of their hips. Hip morphology was evaluated by measuring acetabular depth (pincer shape=negative measure), femoral neck antetorsion (retrotorsion=negative measure) and α angles (cam morphology defined as α angle >55° anteriorly) around the axis of the femoral neck. Consultant musculoskeletal radiologists determined the presence of intra-articular pathology.Results 55 players (mean age 28 years, 52 left hip lead) underwent MRI. No player had pincer morphology, 2 (3.6%) had femoral retrotorsion and 9 (16%) had cam morphology. 7 trail hips and 2 lead hips had cam morphology (p=0.026). Lead hip femoral neck antetorsion was 16.7° compared with 13.0° in the trail hip (p<0.001). The α angles around the femoral neck were significantly lower in the lead compared with trail hips (p<0.001), with the greatest difference noted in the anterosuperior portion of the head neck junction; 53° vs 58° (p<0.001) and 43° vs 47° (p<0.001). 37% of trail and 16% of lead hips (p=0.038) had labral tears.Conclusions Golfers’ lead and trail hips have different morphology. This is the first time side-to-side asymmetry of cam prevalence has been reported. The trail hip exhibited a higher prevalence of labral tears. ER -