playing through pain

[ball striker]

So after retiring in 03 from pitching in the bigs I've undergone 7 surguries including Tommy John, fusion l5-s1 and various shoulder and knee procedures. I think it's safe to say in my mid 40s I'm pretty beat up. I spoke with my ortho last week about my golf game.....he's an avid golfer so he knows giving the game up is no option. If anyone out there plays with pain, what remedies to you do before and after a round? I usually split a vicodin in half before a round and then take a couple of ibuprofen afterwards. It usually works ok but is there anyone out there playing through pain? If so what works for you? Thanks in advance.

 

[BradMorris]

I'm 50 and have struggled with mid back fatigue and pain for decades. This led to me messing up my left shoulder as well trying to compensate for the bad back. The best thing for me has been deep and at times painful stretching to lengthen out the tendons and muscles around the sore areas. I try to isolate the most painful areas and focus on gently stretching them out. Besides stretching, ice and ibuprofin makes my shoulder feel almost 100% within a day or two of being tweaked. The back is a little trickier and will stiffen up within 30 minutes of stretching so I am constantly doing things to keep it loose. One thing that I have been doing lately is big arm swings. This is where I just take each arm and swing it in big relaxed circles. It looks a bit goofy, but it really helps with both the shoulder and the mid back muscles. I'm not a physical therapist, but giving myself some range of motion "overhead" by really stretching the sore areas has helped quite a bit. As long as I'm confident I'm not tearing something up, I will just swing through the pain as best as I can.

 

[ball striker]

I'm 50 and have struggled with mid back fatigue and pain for decades. This led to me messing up my left shoulder as well trying to compensate for the bad back. The best thing for me has been deep and at times painful stretching to lengthen out the tendons and muscles around the sore areas. I try to isolate the most painful areas and focus on gently stretching them out. Besides stretching, ice and ibuprofin makes my shoulder feel almost 100% within a day or two of being tweaked. The back is a little trickier and will stiffen up within 30 minutes of stretching so I am constantly doing things to keep it loose. One thing that I have been doing lately is big arm swings. This is where I just take each arm and swing it in big relaxed circles. It looks a bit goofy, but it really helps with both the shoulder and the mid back muscles. I'm not a physical therapist, but giving myself some range of motion "overhead" by really stretching the sore areas has helped quite a bit. As long as I'm confident I'm not tearing something up, I will just swing through the pain as best as I can.

Thanks and yeah....my physical therapist has given me a list of stretches but I've been doing them for years and still use the surgical tubing to loosen up my shoulders. I was wondering if there was a certain pain medication you take that won't make you drowsy. Someone told me to give ultram a shot. It's non narcotic. I might ask my ortho about it. Flexiril and vicodin throw me for a loop.

 

[BradMorris]

If you find something that works without the narco effects, I would love to hear about it. It's just ice and ibuprofen for me. Good luck.

Thanks and yeah....my physical therapist has given me a list of stretches but I've been doing them for years and still use the surgical tubing to loosen up my shoulders. I was wondering if there was a certain pain medication you take that won't make you drowsy. Someone told me to give ultram a shot. It's non narcotic. I might ask my ortho about it. Flexiril and vicodin throw me for a loop.

 

[Golf 'N Gator]

At nearly 53, I've had a couple of surgeries and I have more pains than one can count, but I love to golf, so I just play (and work) through the pain. It sucks to be so young and have issues, but you are not alone. I just pop a couple of Ibuprofen and play.

 

[inthehole]

I' m 49 and have had back issues for many years (result of a high speed bass boat injury many years ago) - nothing extreme that required surgery, just nagging soreness - good and bad days. The back issue limits my turn & I tend to over stress my left arm (specifically, shoulder & tricep) ... I tend to force keeping the left arm straight & overextend the upper body trying to get a decent turn. I play 2-3 times a week & it's catching up with me ... really sore lately & it's affecting my playing. I find I am having to take a couple ibuprophen before I play - seems to help some, but the verdict isn't in yet. Pretty much just sux to get old ...

 

[ball striker]

I' m 49 and have had back issues for many years (result of a high speed bass boat injury many years ago) - nothing extreme that required surgery, just nagging soreness - good and bad days. The back issue limits my turn & I tend to over stress my left arm (specifically, shoulder & tricep) ... I tend to force keeping the left arm straight & overextend the upper body trying to get a decent turn. I play 2-3 times a week & it's catching up with me ... really sore lately & it's affecting my playing. I find I am having to take a couple ibuprophen before I play - seems to help some, but the verdict isn't in yet. Sux to get old ...

I have made my swing more compact with rotation and not such a pronounced follow through. I can still get my drives out there around 280 but I just don't have the torque to hit 300 anymore. Fairways and greens is the name of the game anyways but it sure would be nice to swap out that 6 iron for a wedge on par 4s. Lol

 

[Drumdog]

I am 56 and have had 5 knee surgeries, Tommy John on my right elbow, on the left shoulder - 2 labrum repairs, bone spur removed and rotator cuff cleanup.
My routine for all the golf I play is. . . .
1. Stretching (before)
2. Robaxin (before)
3. Naproxen (before)
4. Ibuprofen (after)
5. Ice (after)

 

[adamw238]

Thanks and yeah....my physical therapist has given me a list of stretches but I've been doing them for years and still use the surgical tubing to loosen up my shoulders. I was wondering if there was a certain pain medication you take that won't make you drowsy. Someone told me to give ultram a shot. It's non narcotic. I might ask my ortho about it. Flexiril and vicodin throw me for a loop.

I've gone through a fusion surgery as well and from time to time have lingering pain. Mostly during the transition of the seasons. But my spinal specialist told me this would be the case. I've taken just about everything a doctor can prescribe for pain, including ultram/tramadol. While it is not listed as a narcotic, I did experience some narcotic like side effects. It's not as severe as any of the opiate derived medications, but you will still feel a little off kilter the first few times you take it. It's also described as "non-habit forming", but like any medication that a person takes, your body can become dependent on it over time. I took ultram over the period of 8 months and suffered some withdrawal symptoms when I stopped.

 

[apriliamille]

most of the posts are a lot more severe in the injury them mine
i start ibuprofin 3 days prior to when i go. i have a vibrating thing strapped into my chair that vibrates and heats. i use that for 10 minutes then stretch twice a day
i find that if i use a golf cart my hips lock up after 3-4 holes. i have better success by walking and keeping loose. but then i have to have the right golf shoes to help with my knees during walking. i use a push cart as i assume ill get in pain if i carry the bag

 

[hometeamdawg]

most of the posts are a lot more severe in the injury them mine
i start ibuprofin 3 days prior to when i go. i have a vibrating thing strapped into my chair that vibrates and heats. i use that for 10 minutes then stretch twice a day
i find that if i use a golf cart my hips lock up after 3-4 holes. i have better success by walking and keeping loose. but then i have to have the right golf shoes to help with my knees during walking. i use a push cart as i assume ill get in pain if i carry the bag

If I could still walk 18 (back/knees/haglund's etc.) I'd still have my Bagboy Navigator. The one I had used an onboard compass and was great. I think the newer ones use a gyroscope to stay on course. Remote controlled and the perfect way to play if you don't have a caddie.

 

[ball striker]

I am 56 and have had 5 knee surgeries, Tommy John on my right elbow, on the left shoulder - 2 labrum repairs, bone spur removed and rotator cuff cleanup.
My routine for all the golf I play is. . . .
1. Stretching (before)
2. Robaxin (before)8
3. Naproxen (before)
4. Ibuprofen (after)
5. Ice (after)

Hey do you ever play Stoneridge, Couere De Lane or Indian Canyon up there in the Spokane area? I hear there are some nice tracks up there according to Benzel.