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Golfing with arthritis.

golfboyblues

golfboyblues

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I need some advice. I have pretty severe arthritis in my hands, especially the middle two fingers of my left hand. I cannot completely close them to make a secure grip, so several times in a round I lose control of the club which results in a swing disaster. I just switched to jumbo grips and they help a little but did not solve the problem. Anyone have ideas on something else I could do? I went to a specialist but he said other than fusing my fingers, there is not much medically they could do. Fusing the fingers would effectively end my golf career.
 
I have it too but not as severe. A lot of us have had some relief with Stamina Pro patches. There is this review and this one on the board. I’ve also had some decent results using diclofenac gel.

I hope you find something that helps with the pain and function.
 
I have arthritis in several joints. Hips, knees, and back are the worst. Exercise helped me. Can you squeeze a tennis ball?
 
I have bendy fingers, and my brother has it much worse. He swears by Cymbalta. It’s been prescribed for arthritis for about ten years now. I just use Aleve or ibuprofen after the round. He makes a persuasive case, since he crushes me, distance-wise.
 
I golf with someone who has the same issues. She wears gloves on both hands and says I helps her maintain her proper grip.
 
Maric said:
I golf with someone who has the same issues. She wears gloves on both hands and says I helps her maintain her proper grip.
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My brother is a 2-glover as well, says it helps keep the hands warm and less stiff. I don’t wear any at this point, because I have a tough time finding ones that fit.
 
Have you had any physical therapy with a hand specialist? I went to one to even think about trying to play again.
Two range sessions so far, large buckets. I get horrible arthritis from my crohns. Also a med cannabis patient since I can't do any ibuprofen or anything. Just tears up my guts. Oh, and tylenol #4's in steady doses I'm afraid.

Feel ya, friend. Hang in there.
 
I'm not sure that I have arthritis or if I'm just overworking myself. I took a lot of last year off due to a shoulder injury and have been working in swing changes and some various new clubs this summer, and going to the range several times a week in addition to playing nine holes fairly often. Seems to mostly be finger pain I'm going thru the last couple weeks...though it's gotten a little worse recently. It's really bad in the mornings (very stiff and sore) and then they loosen as I get up and clench/unclench fists, stretch my fingers, hands, etc.

I started taking Aleve a few days ago just to see if it helps. Over the weekend picked up some Aspercreme with lidocaine and picked up some Glucosamine (Osteo-Biflex brand). Hoping that all helps. I did have some trigger finger about 2-3 years ago (in my pinky, where the knuckle would get stuck all the time). This doesn't feel like that...just stiff, sore.

EDIT - just some background - I'm 45 as of a couple weeks ago...used to have some severe knee issues (took glucosamine for that as well) like in my early to mid 20's....that has actually alleviated on its own over the years - doc said I probably had a lot of tweaks from sports, jogging, etc. Said it can be common in males in early age and then goes away. Weird.

So now, it's on to my hands! That said...I don't see it as anything to stop me from golfing...just want to ensure I don't do further damage that will really cause issues....or is it just - I need to deal with it and manage pain, etc? I may get a little hand gripper to strengthen my hands/grip/fingers....
 
SHIFTY said:
you could try bionic gloves as well, they are really easy on the hands. Grey ones are called "relief grip".

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never heard of these type of gloves...interesting. Do they sell at any sporting goods place or is it like a special order type of thing? This is one reason I'm glad I'm swinging pretty much all graphite now (outside of my wedges). I'm trying to do all I can to keep my body intact and be able to play golf until I croak as a 85 year old on a fairway somewhere.
 
bobellis75 said:
never heard of these type of gloves...interesting. Do they sell at any sporting goods place or is it like a special order type of thing? This is one reason I'm glad I'm swinging pretty much all graphite now (outside of my wedges). I'm trying to do all I can to keep my body intact and be able to play golf until I croak as a 85 year old on a fairway somewhere.
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Get those wedges you've been wanting with graphite. You know ya wanna. And ya can't take it with ya. $$
 
Voltaren (dicloflenac) gel is helpful for a lot of folks but be careful not to overuse it - it's an NSAID like tylenol and if you overuse or don't follow dosing guidelines it can be very hard on your liver. Until recently it required a prescription but is now available over-the-counter.
 
bobellis75 said:
never heard of these type of gloves...interesting. Do they sell at any sporting goods place or is it like a special order type of thing? This is one reason I'm glad I'm swinging pretty much all graphite now (outside of my wedges). I'm trying to do all I can to keep my body intact and be able to play golf until I croak as a 85 year old on a fairway somewhere.
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follow up to my own question...I see they have two versions of this glove at the Dick's like 10 minutes from my house.....may have to check this out.
 
Boone said:
Voltaren (dicloflenac) gel is helpful for a lot of folks but be careful not to overuse it - it's an NSAID like tylenol and if you overuse or don't follow dosing guidelines it can be very hard on your liver. Until recently it required a prescription but is now available over-the-counter.
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Tylenol/acetaminophen is a general analgesic. Just wanted to make sure that wasn't overlooked.
NSAIDS can be hard on some peoples' GI tract. I can't take those at all, and have to use T4's and others. (y)
 
Yeah, sorry about that - brain **** on my part (and I'm an RN...lol). Thanks for clarifying. Should've said Advil or Aleve :)

The reason I mentioned it was, we use it a lot on our rehab unit, especially for folks with subluxated shoulders post-CVA and it seems like the only thing that helps reduce the inflammation and pain. But because it is a gel, folks tend to smear it on like Ben Gay which is not a good idea...
 
I think in addition to the Aleve, Glucosamine, and Aspercreme, I'm just gonna have to come up with a different practice routine that is more spaced out.....set x amount of time per week - hit small buckets - mix up things more. I don't think I have arthritis (though maybe I have an onset that was set off by heavy practice...I dunno). But I was going to hit several times per week, lots of irons (so a lot of ground contact)...need to mix in more short game and long game (so I'm hitting off tees, rather than ground). I think with these Cobras...I have figured out my irons pretty well and can back off of that (thank god they are graphite or my hands would likely be ruined...though to be fair...I had done a LOT of swing work with my old irons, which probably caused this issue, honestly).

I'll have to look at potential re-grip solutions (maybe some thicker grips, from what I have read, can help - though I have smaller hands...so....not sure), keep taking the right supplements, etc; and just take it easy.....

I hit Sunday but may take this entire week off just to try and see if the fingers stop barking at me a bit....may be best to back off the range and just go play nine holes for practice instead of constantly banging away on the range.
 
I want to thank all those who responded to my post. Although it sucks not to be able to grip the club as securely as I need, it won't stop me from playing golf. The jumbo grips help somewhat but I guess I have to live with my grip slipping from time to time.

Volteran cream does work on the pain associated with arthritis. I have been using it daily for about a month. I am going to try the bionic gloves to see if the extra padding will aid with securing my grip.

Again, thanks for the responses.
 
golfboyblues said:
I need some advice. I have pretty severe arthritis in my hands, especially the middle two fingers of my left hand. I cannot completely close them to make a secure grip, so several times in a round I lose control of the club which results in a swing disaster. I just switched to jumbo grips and they help a little but did not solve the problem. Anyone have ideas on something else I could do? I went to a specialist but he said other than fusing my fingers, there is not much medically they could do. Fusing the fingers would effectively end my golf career.
Click to expand...
I don't have it in my hands. But, I have it in my back and feet. I swear by my NSAID. Took a few trials to find one that works best for me. Settled on Diclofenac Sodium. Aside from that, it could be worth trying CBD. Diclofenac is now available in a gel over the counter here. Mine isn't really in a spot that a topical gel works for me. But, in the hands, I think it's worth a shot. The gel would alleviate any potential GI issues you would possibly have from taking the pill and could get right to the source.
 
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bobellis75 said:
never heard of these type of gloves...interesting. Do they sell at any sporting goods place or is it like a special order type of thing?
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lots of sporting goods stores should carry them, or direct form their website. They usually have sales and free shipping as well.
 
SHIFTY said:
lots of sporting goods stores should carry them, or direct form their website. They usually have sales and free shipping as well.
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I found Dick's near my house has a couple versions...may go try to pick one up tonight....would at least get the size on these figured out (It seems my size can vary from glove to glove) if I wanted to find another offering from them later.
 
I bought a Bionic glove on Amazon and have used it for two rounds. It really does help me with maintaining proper grip pressure. Since I cannot bend the middle two fingers of my left hand enough to secure my grip on the club, this glove will be a great help. Thanks.
 
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