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Equipment and Golfer’s Elbow

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Tenputt

Tenputt

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I have been suffering from golfer’s elbow (I should say elbows) for almost a year. I switched to graphite iron shafts for a while and I am not sure how much it helped. It might have, but I didn’t give it enough time.

I was reading last night that golfer’s elbow is actually caused not from stress on the elbow joint itself, but from the fingers and hands. I have been trying to make some fundamental swing changes during the off months and have actually been hitting more balls than I did during the golf season. So, there is no relief.

I am looking for insight into what some of you have done. I can think of the following:

1. Simply give it a rest for a month or two (a very undesired option).

2. Give graphite shafted irons a long tryout in the bag, like maybe a full year (I ultimately felt like my shots were not quite as good with graphite and I hit both Recoils and Steelfibers).

3. Some sort of stretching/physical therapy.

Any thoughts?
 
You could also consider Sensicore inserts in your current irons to help reduce vibration.
 
I would probably do #1 for a couple of months with mixing in some #3 (stretching) to put you pain into remission. Then, after pain free, come back to swing clubs with nothing but graphite shafts and commit to the process. I switched a little over 3 years ago and have not missed the first round due to pain or soreness since then. I am not convinced they work better or worse than steel for me but do know they keep me out there and free of pain so that is the overriding factor for me.
 
I had/have this same condition with the pain on the inside of my elbow. Went to see a doctor a few years ago when it started to get worse by going down my arm into my hands and fingers. Bottom line is that the doctor said that a forceful swing can produce those type of injuries over the years of swinging a club. I switched to graphite shafts and it did seem to help quit a bit. As far as any type of physical therapy he just said to warm up properly, and don't over do it.

On a personal note, I like the graphite shafts (Recoils) but thinking of switching to steelfibers in my next set.
 
Midsize grips seems to have helped mine issue!
 
What kind of Recoils did you try out before? 400, 600, 700 series or the 95/110/125 series?
 
I’d start with something simple like KT Tape. That stuff worked for me with a different issue, definitely worth a shot.
 
I’ve had golfers elbow for two years now. I use a brace and switched to graphite shafts. It’s helped a ton. The brace is a crucial element to staying pain free for me though.
 
Well for me, I have carpel tunnel syndrome & golfers elbow, (severe tendinitis) Monday I am going drastic - surgery. Surgeon says 8 weeks and I would be fully recovered. Hate this pain, but love golf. With 4* temps here in NJ, what the hell I ain’t playing anytime soon.
 
Never had elbow issues other than sporadic tendonitis from the gym. Not a major issue though for my golf swing.

But I have suffered recurring wrist issues, tendonitis, along with the old "bible bump." Shoulder pain too, rotator cuff, arthritis.

Taking a turmeric supplement has sure seemed to help. Can't speak to any anti-inflammatory effects, all I know is that after taking it for a few weeks, my persistent pains have either disappeared or reduced dramatically. Now a staple in my diet and supplementation.

I know your issue isn't likely chased away by a simple capsule a day. But all I was hoping for was taking some of the edge off the pain and received much more. Maybe it can help to just buffer some of it for you.

Good luck.
 
so-illhacker said:
What kind of Recoils did you try out before? 400, 600, 700 series or the 95/110/125 series?
Click to expand...

I tried the Recoil 95, F4s in a set of Srixon 545s. That was a year ago and my swing has changed considerably since then. I would maybe want to hit the 110s.
 
fupresti said:
You could also consider Sensicore inserts in your current irons to help reduce vibration.
Click to expand...

Do sensicores change the swing weight?
 
Equipment and Golfer’s Elbow

Tenputt said:
Do sensicores change the swing weight?
Click to expand...

I had them in my last set of irons. They did not change the weight enough to be noticed. Each one is less than a gram of weight I’d guess.

They definitely helped, but not as much as graphite did.
 
Check this YouTube video out...worked for me a few years back. I have a history of tennis elbow and have had multiple types of physiotherapy treatments, all of which eventually worked but found switch to graphite shafts 2 years ago made huge difference. I always ensure I stretch forearms before playing, usually do in car driving to course.

https://youtu.be/4xfb3DS_tqA
 
I wear a brace, (Copperfit) helps a lot. I also take 2 Aleeve about 1 hour before tee time. Has almost eliminated my elbow issues. I also go to chiropractor once a month, (back issues) and it helps considerably.
 
Tenputt said:
Do sensicores change the swing weight?
Click to expand...
Sensicore is essentially a thinnish strip of foam spiralled around a straw. ProSoft inserts are a larger piece of lightweight foam inserted snugly a bit farther down the shaft.

I've used both and found both to be effective in dampening vibration but the ProSoft inserts were noticeably superior, imo.

I have them in my previous set and although I switched to graphite last season (Steelfiber i95), I found next to no improvement in vibration dampening as the ProSofts are that good. I only stuck with the i95s due to their lightweight and zero reduction in performance for me over my prior Rifle 6.0s.

They claim no change to swingweight. No idea about actual weight, never tested, but I sure couldn't perceive any difference at all.

Other than the reduction in vibration, impact somehow felt more solid and although off center was muted some, deciphering misses upon the face was unaffected.
 
Tenputt said:
I tried the Recoil 95, F4s in a set of Srixon 545s. That was a year ago and my swing has changed considerably since then. I would maybe want to hit the 110s.
Click to expand...

Gotcha! You could definitely go up a lot from there if they were a little too light or soft in flex for you. I play the 125 Proto in F4 and they're still easier on me than steel.

Every once in a while I'll get a little steep and it was always tough on my wrists, since I got away from steel I haven't had anywhere near the wrist issue I used to. The only time they bothered me was on a baked out course in the middle of summer and it wasn't all that bad. I didn't miss any rounds over it at least.
 
I had it for about a year. Appears to have cleared up on its own. I often played through the pain, but when it was real bad, I wore a brace. Spoke to my father in law about it who was a GP. He was the one that suggested the brace. Pressing down on the spot where the pain is can also give temporary relief.
With regards to graphite, I played em for about 9months. I saw no difference pain wise.


#FiberLaunch
 
I'm going through golfers and tennis elbow right now (inside and outside tendon). I'm working with a physio to square this away and 99% of what I do is stretching daily to free up not only parts of the arms and hands but also the back, shoulders, and hamstrings. My physio pointed out that what causes "my" elbow issues is using too much elbow angle to compensate for poor mechanics.


Google golfers elbow and tennis elbow and look at some of the stretches. Should help.
 
I used to get this if I hit a LOT of balls off of mats. We’re talking 150+ in a session.

Three things seemed to help it for me:
- Don’t hit off mats
- Graphite shafts
- Swing change to be less army’s/wristy and more with the big muscles
 
I had golfer's elbow really bad in both elbows for an entire season. For me, the main culprit was hitting 1000s of balls off range mats. The repeated pounding took a toll.

Things I did to treat:
1. Rest (and avoid the mats)
2. Shock Wave therapy (https://www.shockwavetherapy.eu/subpage).
*After trying a bunch of other physio treatments and getting no results, I tried Shockwave. The treatment literally only takes a couple of minutes per session; I did 10 sessions). It hurts like hell but I really believed that it helped to get rid of scar tissue and reduce inflammation.
3. Graphite (played Steelfibers for 1 season). Have since returned to a lighter weight steel shaft as I just trust them more.

I have been relatively pain free for over a year now. I really think the key is hitting of grass at the range and avoiding the mats. If I do a few range sessions in a row off mats I can start to feel the elbows getting tender again.

Cheers.
 
Thanks, everybody, for all of the great input.
 
Am in the road and in some place semi warm, so I found a range yesterday with some clubs I could borrow after my flight arrived. I had the toxic combination of mats + steel shafts + old grips + bit steep initially. I hit around 150 balls and my left elbow is a sore today when I hinge it.

My point is not to whine. I was thankful to be hitting given I’d not seen a day above freezing in weeks. It is that this can be controlled, and lack of controlling it will cause it to come back.
 
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