Examining And Correcting The Anterior Pelvic Tilt In Golfers: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Background: Anterior pelvic tilt (APT) is common in golfers and is associated with excessive lumbar lordosis, hip-core muscular imbalance and diminished swing efficiency [1–4]. Evidence suggests that sport-specific corrective exercise can improve pelvic alignment, yet data in golfers remain scarce

Methods: Fifteen male golfers (30–50 y) with software-confirmed APT completed a 10-week, thrice-weekly programme comprising hip-joint mobilisations, static–dynamic flexibility, gluteal/core strengthening and neuromuscular re-education. APECS posture software quantified pelvic tilt; M-Trigger biofeedback recorded gluteal-core strength; standard clinical tests measured flexibility. Pre- and post-intervention values were compared with paired t-tests (α = 0.05).

Results: Mean pelvic tilt decreased from 15.45 ± 0.58° to 10.18 ± 0.38° (Δ = -5.27°, p < 0.001). Strength improved from 39.40 ± 2.64 to 67.27 ± 2.60 (Δ = +27.87 units, p < 0.001) and flexibility scores from 16.13 ± 1.36 to 7.60 ± 0.99 (Δ = -8.53 units, p < 0.001). Effect sizes were very large (Cohen’s d = 7.19–10.72). Change in APT correlated moderately with change in flexibility (r = 0.55, p = 0.033).

Conclusion: A structured, golf-specific corrective programme produced large, clinically meaningful improvements in pelvic alignment, strength and flexibility in amateur male golfers. These preliminary data support integrating corrective exercise into golf conditioning and justify larger controlled trials.