Golf-related stress fractures: a structured review of the literature.

BACKGROUND Stress fractures are troublesome injuries. Sites of occurrence are activity-related and specific anatomical sites are endemic to certain sports. Little is known about stress fracture patterns in golf. OBJECTIVE A structured review of the literature was conducted to identify the occurrence and injury sites of golf-related stress fractures. METHODS A literature search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus was conducted using a combination of controlled vocabulary and truncated text words to capture all articles relevant to golf-related stress fractures. Articles meeting inclusion criteria were descriptively analyzed. RESULTS The search resulted in 164 articles, of which 13 met the inclusion, and reported 44 cases of golf-related stress fractures. Seven anatomical injury sites were identified with rib stress fracture being the most commonly reported. Stress fractures occurred on the golfer's lead-side in 80% of cases. CONCLUSION Golf-related stress fractures are infrequent injuries. The ribs were the most common stress fracture site, and a predilection for lead-side involvement was reported.