Hips Don't Lie: When Your Hips Don't Move, Something Else Has To

Your hips play a huge role in how you rotate, create force, maintain balance, and move through the golf swing, but there's a lot more happening around the hip than simply being "tight" or "mobile." In this episode, we break down the anatomy of the hip, including the muscles, tendons, ligaments, labrum, and the deep six external rotators, and learn why the hips need both mobility and strength. We also explore common hip issues golfers may encounter, how limitations at the hip can influence movement elsewhere in the body, and how the subtle body plays a role in our movement experience. Because when it comes to your hips, there's usually more to the story than simply needing a better stretch. Show notes: Bourgain M, et al. "Golf Swing Biomechanics: A Systematic Review and Methodological Recommendations for Kinematics." Sports, 2022. This is probably your strongest golf-specific reference. The review found that hip movement during the swing is highly asymmetric, with different demands on the lead and trail hips, and discusses research linking limited lead-hip mobility with greater lumbar-spine contribution. Gulgin H, Armstrong C, Gribble P. "Hip Rotational Velocities During the Full Golf Swing." Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 2009. Particularly relevant to your discussion of lead versus trail hip demands. In collegiate female golfers, the lead hip experienced significantly greater peak internal-rotation velocity than the trail hip's external-rotation velocity during the downswing. StatPearls. "Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb, Hip." National Library of Medicine. A good reference for your basic anatomy section: femoral head and acetabulum, labrum, joint capsule, and the iliofemoral, pubofemoral, and ischiofemoral ligaments.  American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. "The Management of Osteoarthritis of the Hip." Useful support for the common-hip-issues section and the discussion of hip OA, stiffness, pain, cartilage, and joint structure. Mellor R, et al. "Education plus exercise versus corticosteroid injection use versus a wait and see approach…" The BMJ, 2018. Helpful for your discussion of lateral hip pain and gluteal tendinopathy. The paper also notes that what has historically been called "trochanteric bursitis" is frequently discussed within the broader context of gluteal tendinopathy/greater trochanteric pain syndrome. Garnsey CL, et al. "Changes in Body Awareness in Yoga Interventions: A Systematic Review." Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 2025. I like this one for supporting the more nuanced part of your subtle-body conversation. It doesn't claim that emotions are literally "stored" in tissues; rather, it reviews evidence around yoga and changes in body awareness/interoception, which fits the distinction you're making in the episode.