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North Carolina
Joined: 8/16/2007
Posts: 104
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Posted: Sep/21/2008 5:00 PM PST
Here's one for C.P., and anyone else so inclined to answer. I've hurt the tendon in my left elbow (I swing right-handed). I started feeling pain about two months ago, but decided I'd just gut it out and play through it. Bad mistake. My arm hurts all the time now, and I cannot pick up anything (a coffee cup, book, whatever) with my left hand -- let alone hold a club out in front of me -- without significant pain. I'm a guitarist, and it's interfering with my ability to perform. Even typing this is bad.
Now, my playing partner tells me that it's "golf elbow," just like "tennis elbow," nothing more complicated than that. However simple, it is still debilitating, and will not be healed quickly. He says the only way to help it is to NOT PLAY GOLF for a long time. That answer is totally unacceptable.
My own hunch is that I need to strengthen the muscle group around the tendon, while applying hot or cold (I can't remember which), and moderating my playing frequency down to one or two rounds per week until I see improvement. The golf swing itself does not hurt (much), only the after-effects. 18 holes leaves me in seriously bad shape.
My question is two-fold: based on your experiences with things like this, what should I do? And, can I hurt myself for life or anything tragic like that, if I persist in playing through the pain?
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Houston
Joined: 8/16/2007
Posts: 18
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Posted: Sep/22/2008 6:01 AM PST
Pastor Mark, I have the same thing happening to me. After hitting about 150-250 balls, I get the same thing. I practiced yesterday and today I can not grip anything too tight. It is only effecting my left elbow. I do work out and after bicep curls and anything like a back work out the pain is there. The next day it's painfull! I hope there is a remedy. I hope it's not having to stop playing. The weather here in Houston, TX is finally cooling down and is the right weather to play.
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Joined: 12/05/2007
Posts: 589
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Posted: Sep/23/2008 5:36 PM PST
Quote: Originally posted by ebayoyo I am sorry to hear that. If there is nothing wrong with your health, I suggest you check your posture and do some excercise. As you know if you don't swing in right way, you won't feel comfortable even painful. ------------------------------ http://www.ebayoyo.com
FIRST AND FOREMOST, CAN WE PLEASE HAVE THIS GUY BANNED!!!!!! EBAYOYO IS JUST A WEBSITE THAT SELLS COUNTERFEIT CLUBS. NOW HE'S SIMPLY TELLING SOMEONE "CHECK YOURPOSTURE, DO SOME EXERCISE" WHAT EXERCISES DO YOU PROPOSE BIG GUY??
Now Mark, onto your issue. The degree of pain that you describes says to me that YES you need to stop playing golf. HOWEVER, you probably only need to stop playing for about a week or so. How you elect to treat this in the short term is going to be the difference of it going away in a few weeks or nagging for a long time. When I started playing last year I also suffered from a pretty bad case of golf elbow although mine was on my right arm not the left. The research I did told me that it's more common to happen on the left arm. Left untreated best case scenario you have some minor pain in the arm. Worst case scenario, you tear a tendon off the bone in the arm and require surgery to reattach it and major physical therapy and no golf for probably at least 6 months to as long as 18 months. First thing you need to do is reduce inflammation in the area. This is an overuse injury which means you need to cut back the usage of the affected area and then use it properly. A major cause is hitting shots fat. If your taking a healthy swing and then jamming the club into the turf you will eventually develop this. To decrease inflammation you need to ice it down and take aleve or advil. Even if it isn't hurting a lot you should take aleve and advil. DO NOT TAKE TYLENOL. Tylenol is a pain reliever, it is NOT an anti-inflammatory. After a week of resting it and icing it, you should begin some strengthening exercises. swinging a golf club is actually going to help strengthen it but swining it too much is going to overuse it. There are several specific exercises that would help you, one would be to grab an iron in the middle of the shaft, hold it out in front of you at shoulder height and rotate your hand from a palm up to a palm down position. There are several other exercsise such as squeezing a tennis ball that will help strengthen those forearm muscles. If you have health insurance, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND going to see a doctor and getting a referral for physical therapy. It is boring but PT will get this resolved in 6-10 weeks while still allowing you to play some golf vs. surgery which will end your golf season and possibly put your golf career at risk.
To the guy that talks about doing biceps curls and full workouts, that is a great way to possible tear the tendon all together. The stress you put on the area in that kind of workout is tremendous. It would be akin to a major league pitcher doing a heavy shoulder workout the day after throwing 120 pitches in a game. Dont do it. Sorry for the long winded post, but mark your symptoms are already at an advanced stage and you really do run the risk of doing major damage if you let it go unchecked.
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North Carolina
Joined: 8/16/2007
Posts: 104
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Posted: Sep/23/2008 7:58 PM PST
CP, you are as helpful here as I knew you'd be -- thanks, man. I'm going to immediately put your suggestions to work, after sneaking in one more 9-hole round tomorrow morning! After a suitable break with ice and Advil, I'll work that tennis ball, as I still have the hunch that strengthening those muscles will keep the tendon tidy.
No insurance, so no PT. But I have to avoid surgery at all costs (a pun, there).
Thanks again.
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Joined: 12/05/2007
Posts: 589
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Posted: Sep/24/2008 7:57 AM PST
no problem, do some google searches for golfers elbow and you'll find a lot of info on it. Rest alone is bad because eventually you need to strengthen the surrounding area, but you definately need some rest and ice to get the inflammation out and then slowly start putting it back to work. Interestingly enough, when I had it, it never hurt while actually playing golf. I always noticed it after the fact and when I went to the gym to do a back and biceps workout it was really bad.
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Houston
Joined: 8/16/2007
Posts: 18
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Posted: Sep/24/2008 12:23 PM PST
Quote: Originally posted by CPFitness no problem, do some google searches for golfers elbow and you'll find a lot of info on it. Rest alone is bad because eventually you need to strengthen the surrounding area, but you definately need some rest and ice to get the inflammation out and then slowly start putting it back to work. Interestingly enough, when I had it, it never hurt while actually playing golf. I always noticed it after the fact and when I went to the gym to do a back and biceps workout it was really bad.
Thanks CP. I did not realize it could be that bad.
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Joined: 12/05/2007
Posts: 589
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Posted: Sep/26/2008 8:21 AM PST
no problem, it took mine months to go away but after just a week of toning down how much I played and icing it regularly it was just dull soreness for several weeks and nothing big. Any time you have a tendinitis situation that goes untreated it can develop into tendinosis which is when the tendon calcifies and gets brittle and then basically snaps. Tendinosis is bad because once that tendon gets calcified it's useless and can't be repaired. It takes awhile for that to happen but trust me, it happens to people and the older you are the higher risk you have.
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North Carolina
Joined: 8/16/2007
Posts: 104
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Posted: Sep/29/2008 5:13 AM PST
Just a follow-up here. I haven't played since our discussion (not even sneaking in that 9-hole round as I'd planned). A couple sessions with the cold-pack and Advil, and just letting it rest. An added "bonus" is that with the golf curtailed, I can now see where other activities are making the tendon worse. I play guitar for my evening church services, and last night left me in real pain. Typing, strangely enough, also hurts. Picking up anything weighing more than a few pounds, like a full milk jug, hurts. Overall, I'm hurting more this week than last, and that without playing golf! But it's early in the healing process yet.
My target date for next round is October 14.
Please excuse the long ramble, but if this saves another golfer from pain, then it's worth it. The lesson here seems to be: DON'T PLAY THROUGH CONSTANT PAIN. Pain is a signal that something's not right, and must be attended to.
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Joined: 12/05/2007
Posts: 589
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Posted: Sep/29/2008 5:37 AM PST
Quote: Originally posted by Pastor_Mark Just a follow-up here. I haven't played since our discussion (not even sneaking in that 9-hole round as I'd planned). A couple sessions with the cold-pack and Advil, and just letting it rest. An added "bonus" is that with the golf curtailed, I can now see where other activities are making the tendon worse. I play guitar for my evening church services, and last night left me in real pain. Typing, strangely enough, also hurts. Picking up anything weighing more than a few pounds, like a full milk jug, hurts. Overall, I'm hurting more this week than last, and that without playing golf! But it's early in the healing process yet. My target date for next round is October 14. Please excuse the long ramble, but if this saves another golfer from pain, then it's worth it. The lesson here seems to be: DON'T PLAY THROUGH CONSTANT PAIN. Pain is a signal that something's not right, and must be attended to.
Trust me, my ramble is 3 times as long! You know golf is an addiction when we are willing to play through the pain and for what? To maybe shoot 10 over par on a really really good day!!! It's not like we get paid for it! Something is wrong with my knee out of nowhere it's swollen like crazy. I still played yesterday! Luckily it doesn't hurt, just swollen which also means, SOMETHING AINT RIGHT! oh well C'est la vie!
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Seaside, Ca
Joined: 10/07/2007
Posts: 10
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Posted: Oct/05/2008 10:07 PM PST
I am wearing my ice pack as I am typing this for Mark. As soon as you get home from your round, ice that elbow. Before your round, take 3 advil with your meal. A "band it" from Wallgreens will help you when you are not playing. Hope this helps. JT
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