Injured and Looking For a Golf Fix

OverPar247365

Consistently T-20...ish
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Of course, peak golf season cranks up in the South and I’ve got a herniated disk. I’ve been instructed to lay off the golf for 4-6 weeks as well as a 3x/week physical therapy. So basically, I’m stuck inside with a back injury for the rest of April and most of May!

If you’ve had an injury that’s kept you off the course, how do you get your “fix in”. I’m watching every video I can and reading a few good books. If anyone has any other suggestions or stories about how they handled an injury, I’m all ears!

Cheers!


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I have expertise. In 2015 at age 70 felt like I was 50 but then herniated disc. Had outpatient surgery only because of terrible neuropathy problems in left foot and ankle. Learned how to golf with it then in 2018 new injury bulging disc increased issues. March 6 2019 had prostate and 19 lymph glands removed. Been wearing catheter since March 6. UGH. Hoping to get that removed Thursday if I pass the test. I would suggest getting a great orthopedist who specializes in sports medicine. Do your homework. Consider injections. Physical therapy regimen is a must. Athletico in my somewhat expert opinion is the best provider. They are only in approx 10 states or so. A tens unit and back wellness products should be purchsed at Amazon as well as physical therapy products. I have not been able to do my therapy regimen at home since March 6 and will likely take me a while to get back to where I was once this fricken catheter is removed. If you do not have the neueopathy problems that came with my herniated disc magnified by my 2018 bulging disc consider yourself very fortunate. Therapy and strengthening routine injections and if that fails outpatient surgery usually works well with say 45 days downtime. I am pretty much screwed because of the neuropathy every day . If I can now shoot 84 I feel like I have had a great round. Hell 88 now is sort of ok.
 
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I was down & out for 3 months for my hip surgery. I watched as many videos as I could, read books, etc. Once I was able to get up & walk around, I used the two putting mats I have in the house. Along with the putting mirror. I'm not technically "cleared" officially yet to play full time but don't tell my Dr ... I am feeling just fine. I will get out for only my 2nd round since my surgery back in January this weekend. My swing feels different ... but a good different. I'm anxious to see how I do.
 
PS 4 or X-Box and a good golf game may help some...
 
I herniated L4-5 and finally had the 2 discs fused in September 2014. I had tried to play before then but gave up the last several months before it due to the pain. After surgery, I watched the FedEx Cup playoffs and Ryder Cup. And a lot of college football. I read a lot of golf books (reread all of Dan Jenkins and John Feinstein's books). I watched some old Shell's Wonderful World of Golf on youtube, videos of the Skins Games, and some golf movies (Dead Solid Perfect and Follow the Sun are a couple of my favorites favorites). The only video game I played was World Golf Tour. I played Augusta National, Pebble, St. Andrews, Colonial, and a bunch of other courses I'd played before in my head a bunch of times.

I wish you well.
 
Read golf books and bought/traded clubs...

I did the same last year. Good luck in your recovery!
 
i'm going to be real honest with you. Dont watch live TV and try not to be on forums much in your spare time. What i mean by the second part is if you get bored, dont start surfing forums because you'll want to golf. Set aside time to be on the forums and interact with people publicly or privately. Once you've reached that time, step away and do something to occupy your mind differently. I didn't follow this advice when I blew my calf muscle out but did do it when I had a herniated/bugling disc and it helped alot. Good luck and send me a PM if you need someone to BS with.
 
Sorry to hear this.
Same thing happened to me. May 2001 back spasms, doctor, herniated disc. Doc said surgery I said physical therapy. Okay by him to try, (gee thanks) just no golf June-August.

I went straight from the doctor to the golf store and bought a long putter. My wife played all summer and I tagged along and putted with the broom. When golf resumed the long putter was ingrained and remained that way until the USGA ruling.

I also rode along or walked with other friends while they played.

During the time off I got in shape so I would be ready after getting clearance to go back to golf. Walking is a great exercise for the back and that filled time.

Chipping was also something I could do on a very limited basis. (Bending over was / is not good for extended practice.)

Reading was a great diversion especially things I wanted to work on to improve my game, especially the short game.

In general I tried to stay as active as possible.

o date I have avoided surgery but the back is not 100%.

Good luck and best wishes on a quick recovery.
 
I decided to "suck it up and keep playing" as the doctor said if I could handle it it was better. Fast forward 8 months and I just had my first "pain free" day in that time period, then another. Golfed...and hurt. Felt fine the next day. Golfed...hurting bad enough to not do the exercises again.


So likely I extended the injured time...(or maybe not, he actually said it was permanent and this was the new baseline) and matched it by playing spectacularly poorly. My handicap went from 16.8 to 24.6.


So now I find golf hurts and I am awful at it. I actually said today that, after a couple tournaments I am already signed up for...I am on the verge of quitting golf.


All that to say: whatever you do to get your fix, don't let it run you out of the game. I love the game but the combo of pain and suck is killing it for me.
 
Sorry to hear it, hope you heal quickly.

I suffer repeated herniations, the last few had me out for 7 months, 2 months, (and because I came back too early from that one) another 2 months, respectively.

The last one was only a short time because for the first time ever, I had epidural shots. Worked tremendously so far, fingers crossed it continues.

Wish I could help you with the golf fix but because I can never be sure how long I'd be out, I tend to detach some from golf because it depresses me to undulge.

I'll still read and post some on THP, just less.
 
my sympathies - I'm in the middle of some down time to heal up some lower and mid-back issues (reinjured Sun, hoping to swing again Friday - broken ribs from Nov coming back to haunt me). I've also been dealing with elbow tendonitis for a couple months. Maddening but reality of getting older. I've actually upped my regular exercise (swimming laps) as I can do that with the bad back, consistently stretch and ice, and have a putting green setup in the living room. When the back is really flaring up it hurts to putt so that becomes a no-go, but normally I can at least putt without too much strain.

I've also had some yoga poses suggested that don't stress the afflicted area but help stretch other important places (like hips). I think the hardest thing to do is temper the enthusiasm to get back into things. But finding some sort of stretching or exercise helps me at least keep some perspective about getting back onto the course being a possibility.
 
Of course, peak golf season cranks up in the South and I’ve got a herniated disk. I’ve been instructed to lay off the golf for 4-6 weeks as well as a 3x/week physical therapy. So basically, I’m stuck inside with a back injury for the rest of April and most of May!

If you’ve had an injury that’s kept you off the course, how do you get your “fix in”. I’m watching every video I can and reading a few good books. If anyone has any other suggestions or stories about how they handled an injury, I’m all ears!

Cheers!


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I am having the same issue but due to meniscus surgery on my left knee.It is killing me that I haven't been able to play in about 5 weeks and it will be a few more.This surgery was supposed to be "simple" with 4-6 wks healing,but once inside,the dr.found some degeneratio9 and did micro fracture surgery ,besides just the meniscus.This means probably at least twice the recovery time.:angry: I envy my playing partners in this 75 * sunny weather,so I watch more golf channel to past the time.The Dr. did say I could chip and putt some,just no full swings to "torque" the knee.
 
I herniated 3 discs and broke my neck 10 years ago. Take this time to work on your mental game. Read some good Rotella books. The big battle is upstairs.
Work on physio and healing. Don’t rush coming back. You’ll be better off in the long run.
 
Have you tried a Teeter Hangups inversion table. I have had many herniated disks over the past 25 years. The Teeter Hangups is really a great help decompressing the spine and taking the pressure off the disks and nerves. I have had mine for about 10 years now and still use it quite a bit.
 
Sorry to hear that! If I was going through that I'd probably just focus on my other hobbies a little more and spend time on the forum talking golf to get my fix in, live vicariously through others for awhile. I'd probably do a ton of practice putting around the house or even go to the practice putting green a ton. It would be a long few months though.
 
Been unable to swing a club for a while myself. I don’t have any easy answers other than patience. The one good thing for me is that our weather has been one of the wettest in the last 25 years, so golf season has arrived late.
 
Have you tried a Teeter Hangups inversion table. I have had many herniated disks over the past 25 years. The Teeter Hangups is really a great help decompressing the spine and taking the pressure off the disks and nerves. I have had mine for about 10 years now and still use it quite a bit.

One of my friends suggested this. He said he really does wonders for his back. Thanks for reminding me! Might be investing if this PT doesn’t help


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I herniated 3 discs and broke my neck 10 years ago. Take this time to work on your mental game. Read some good Rotella books. The big battle is upstairs.
Work on physio and healing. Don’t rush coming back. You’ll be better off in the long run.

Any suggestions on books? Always looking for something new to read


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my sympathies - I'm in the middle of some down time to heal up some lower and mid-back issues (reinjured Sun, hoping to swing again Friday - broken ribs from Nov coming back to haunt me). I've also been dealing with elbow tendonitis for a couple months. Maddening but reality of getting older. I've actually upped my regular exercise (swimming laps) as I can do that with the bad back, consistently stretch and ice, and have a putting green setup in the living room. When the back is really flaring up it hurts to putt so that becomes a no-go, but normally I can at least putt without too much strain.

I've also had some yoga poses suggested that don't stress the afflicted area but help stretch other important places (like hips). I think the hardest thing to do is temper the enthusiasm to get back into things. But finding some sort of stretching or exercise helps me at least keep some perspective about getting back onto the course being a possibility.

Started doing yoga as a suggestion from my Orthopedic. Apparently, I’ve been doing it wrong my whole life and stretching till it hurts. APPARENTLY....you’re supposed to stop right before it hurts. My ortho literally laughed at me and said, “Maybe now would be a good time to start properly stretching.”


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I decided to "suck it up and keep playing" as the doctor said if I could handle it it was better. Fast forward 8 months and I just had my first "pain free" day in that time period, then another. Golfed...and hurt. Felt fine the next day. Golfed...hurting bad enough to not do the exercises again.


So likely I extended the injured time...(or maybe not, he actually said it was permanent and this was the new baseline) and matched it by playing spectacularly poorly. My handicap went from 16.8 to 24.6.


So now I find golf hurts and I am awful at it. I actually said today that, after a couple tournaments I am already signed up for...I am on the verge of quitting golf.


All that to say: whatever you do to get your fix, don't let it run you out of the game. I love the game but the combo of pain and suck is killing it for me.

Hate to hear this man! I’ve been playing sports my entire life and battled the injuries. I’ve always been one to get back as soon as possible but I’m babying this one to the best. All kinds of therapy are in the books. If it’s healed in the next month, I’ll more than likely try to get a shot but not sure I want to start that process.

I really hope you don’t lose your passion for the game. I’d find a way to keep myself in it by either volunteering or working events that kept my mind on the game. I can imagine it isn’t the most fun activity when it hurts every time but I really hope you’re able to find a middle ground.


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This hits close to home for me. I developed a bulging disc last year at L5-S1. Arthritis in the facet joints surrounding it. I have been trying to manage it for the better part of a year at this point. I found out last September what was actually going on after an MRI. I did cortisone on the disc, and radiofrequency ablation on the facet joints. Still had a good deal of pain and discomfort. It doesn't take much to set it off. I have been seeing a chiro that has been working on increasing the mobility in those joints. The disc will not heal unless there is movement there to keep fluids going in and out.

It is hard to gauge what is too much. You want to keep active but you don't want to aggravate the injury either. I have finally found a little bit of relief after doing some DDP Yoga to strengthen my back combined with the work the chiro had me doing. Short term relief during really bad spells was a taper of prednisone.

I am at 95% about 95% of the time at this point. Golf season just started, so I don't know how that will effect things as bending forward seems to put a little extra pressure on that joint. Time will tell.

If you are looking for some good material to read up on. Look up Dr. Stuart McGill. Tons of good info that will help you understand the injury and the mechanics behind the movements.

Good luck on your journey.
 
Any suggestions on books? Always looking for something new to read


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Start with “Golf is not a game of perfect”.
 
Hate to hear this man! I’ve been playing sports my entire life and battled the injuries. I’ve always been one to get back as soon as possible but I’m babying this one to the best. All kinds of therapy are in the books. If it’s healed in the next month, I’ll more than likely try to get a shot but not sure I want to start that process.

I really hope you don’t lose your passion for the game. I’d find a way to keep myself in it by either volunteering or working events that kept my mind on the game. I can imagine it isn’t the most fun activity when it hurts every time but I really hope you’re able to find a middle ground.


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appreciate it. My regular partner just tore his rotator cuff skiing and is out of everything for 6 months. I am trying to be encouraging to him. With my own injury I had to quit racquetball, golf is a struggle, my guitar playing went from hours to 5 or 10 minutes at a time...there were a few dark moments in there, and ultimately I just think the big thing for people in the position of people like yourself, John, me, the gentleman in the post above...find other things we love to keep our love of life up.
 
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