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Tendonitis - Golfers Elbow

I switched after a little research confirmed that graphite does indeed remove a lot of the vibration from striking a golf ball, don't remember which manufacture had info regarding this but it was probably Aldila. The lighter weight is a plus too as I am starting to feel my age when playing a lot of golf. My elbow pain is only in my left elbow which I damaged in my youth in a motorcycle crash, it hasn't bothered me until recent years and I'm afraid it may get to be a real problem eventually. I found a set of graphite shafted clubs that fit my needs perfectly for $200 so I won't be out much if it doesn't help but my first round was pain free. :act-up:

PS Went to midsize softer grips last year which helped a little but graphite shafts are a huge improvement in comparison to grips.
 
DonW said:
I switched after a little research confirmed that graphite does indeed remove a lot of the vibration from striking a golf ball, don't remember which manufacture had info regarding this but it was probably Aldila. The lighter weight is a plus too as I am starting to feel my age when playing a lot of golf. My elbow pain is only in my left elbow which I damaged in my youth in a motorcycle crash, it hasn't bothered me until recent years and I'm afraid it may get to be a real problem eventually. I found a set of graphite shafted clubs that fit my needs perfectly for $200 so I won't be out much if it doesn't help but my first round was pain free. :act-up:

PS Went to midsize softer grips last year which helped a little but graphite shafts are a huge improvement in comparison to grips.
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Yea, I went from graphite back to steel, and the problem resurfaced for a bit.. but I switched grips to the Winn Dri-tacs and haven't had nearly as many issues! The problem with graphite is that most stock graphite shafts are too light, and afetrmarket ones in a weight comparable to steel are on the expensive side. Still, sooner or later I see me making the change back.
 
I have been fighting this for some time , moved from RICE to ibuprofen tablets and gel...then an arm brace , then had my Doc give a hydrocortisone injection ( helped a little ) now getting physio , the exercise she has given me help , along with the taping and the ultrasound , but its still there...not sure where to go next. The Doc did mention a specialist if it didnt get better , so that sounds like where I may be heading , interestingly this has only occurred since I switched from graphite to steel shafts in my irons ...going to get some sensicore inserts fitted . Reading through this thread its interesting what some people have to say about the overgripping / tightly gripping of the club , and a bad swing may be also contributing factors. I know I can often use the Dark jedi death grip strength on my grip when I dont remind myself to relax , and I have also found that my swing has become very steep on the downswing producing a much harder impact than I use to have .

So all in all I have a combination of factors aggrevating this but its only pain ....:banghead:
 
Yeah... I know. "Pain don't hurt" - Roadhouse!

The part other than the pain, which is not terrible just annoying, is that I really can't straighten my arm all the way. Not super flexible anyways, but I'm guessing I'm 3-5 degrees short of normal for me?
 
I was just reading in the latest Golf Digest that wearing one of these while sleeping is recommended by their fitness adviser. He also recommends sleeping with the arm as straight as possible to speed healing.
 
BIGBALL said:
Yea, I went from graphite back to steel, and the problem resurfaced for a bit.. but I switched grips to the Winn Dri-tacs and haven't had nearly as many issues! The problem with graphite is that most stock graphite shafts are too light, and afetrmarket ones in a weight comparable to steel are on the expensive side. Still, sooner or later I see me making the change back.
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Two more rounds in, now with Winn wraps (didn't want to regrip till sure I was keeping irons), and I am happy. Irons I bought came w/Aldila Protos and so far they are working good for me. Only downside is having to change other clubs do to different lofts in the irons, but if what I have right now all works long term I am a happy camper.
 
Interestingly played nine holes today....not a tweak out of my elbow ....during or after, yet yesterday it hurt even lifting things....col our me confused...:what:

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I played Saturday with so-so results. Some soreness but it looks like I will be dealing with it all year. Then on Easter I was wrestling around with a nephew and something popped in my elbow and I'm afraid its hurt even worse... Dumb, dumb, dumb... Less than 7 weeks until a golf vacation & I likely need to shut it down just to get thru the week.

I did order one of the forearm Band Its...
 
golfer/tennis elbow

golfer/tennis elbow

About four years ago I had some soreness in my arm and elbow after a round and thought nothing of it. After that day the more I played the worse it got. I finally figured out I had golfers elbow and I didnt want to quit playing or get surgery or anything so I started looking for alternative solutions. I asked around and researched for several weeks and I believe I came to the root of my problem which was specifically wrist and forearm strength. I am in pretty good shape and workout pretty regularly but must admit I kind of neglected those those two areas. I took 1 month off golf completely and did nothing strenuous with that arm. After that month I started lightly working out and targeting those two areas specifically about twice a week. After three 60 days I had no pain after I played a round and have not had a problem since.

I am of course not a doctor and anything you decide should probably be ran by your physician. Im sure that this will also depend on the severity of the issue your experiencing. Anyway it has helped me tremendously and hopefully this will help someone else.
 
Glad to see it got better for you. As a former tennis player and now a golfer, I have struggled with this. The switch to graphite shafts helped me quite a bit.
 
phenom4hire said:
About four years ago I had some soreness in my arm and elbow after a round and thought nothing of it. After that day the more I played the worse it got. I finally figured out I had golfers elbow and I didnt want to quit playing or get surgery or anything so I started looking for alternative solutions. I asked around and researched for several weeks and I believe I came to the root of my problem which was specifically wrist and forearm strength. I am in pretty good shape and workout pretty regularly but must admit I kind of neglected those those two areas. I took 1 month off golf completely and did nothing strenuous with that arm. After that month I started lightly working out and targeting those two areas specifically about twice a week. After three 60 days I had no pain after I played a round and have not had a problem since.

I am of course not a doctor and anything you decide should probably be ran by your physician. Im sure that this will also depend on the severity of the issue your experiencing. Anyway it has helped me tremendously and hopefully this will help someone else.
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I had this problem two summers ago. Unfortunately I couldn't take two months off since a big event was coming up. I did take a month off before it, but got back to practice a month before the event. Used ice throughout the event and as soon as it was over, I took another month off. Got back to golf in September of 2012 and have been fine ever since.

Rest and not golfing is the best thing you can do. You do not want this to become chronic.
 
The RICE acronym is a great method to use because these injuries, Medial vs lateral epicondylitis, are simply over-use injuries. However, there are swing faults that can lead to an increased presence of these injuries, such as casting/scooping/Early release.

I would recommend the RICE principle during the acute stages (up to 48 hrs), then you can begin some gentle Range-of-Motion exercises, stretching and progress to light strengthening. If you are having symptoms are golfer's elbow (medial epicondylitis), a good stretch is starting with your palms up, then take your uninvolved arm/hand and gently bend your wrist and fingers down to the floor. If you are having symptoms of tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis), complete the same stretch, but simply turn your palms down as a starting position.

One last thing-Try Ice Popsicles. You can use the little Dixie Bathroom cups, fill them halfway up with water and place them in the freezer. Once frozen, you can remove one, tear the cup circumferentially where only a little bit of the frozen ice is hanging over the top and use that to massage the flexor/extensor mechanisms in the forearm (golfers vs tennis elbow).

This may have been covered recently, I just wanted to step in and help if I could. HTH
 
So 2013 was interesting, I played more golf than ever before including a handful of rounds indoors on a simulator in January & February. Near the end of those rounds I developed pretty bad case of tennis elbow in my right elbow (RH golfer) that limited my practice and range time for most of the year. I think I went about 5 weeks between the worst of the symptoms to my first outdoor round then just dealt with it after that, mainly ice & ibuprofen.

After my son's baseball season began the biggest improvement followed after throwing batting practice to 10 & 11 year olds. Nice easy arm motion throwing 25 mph, really stretched it out and most of the pain was gone.

Around Labor Day weekend, after raking leaves for a large area on a camping trip, I developed a milder case of TE in my left elbow. For the most part it did not aggravate much during golf so I didn't really worry about it.

Fast forward to two weeks ago. Went on a golf trip with some friends and played three rounds in three days. It was between 36 & 55 degrees out , some rain, some sun. Returned home to a little better weather and felt pretty good. Just a little stiffness/soreness, moreso in the left elbow but manageable.

Played another round that Sunday in sunny 40-45 degrees. On the 7th hole, a par 3 with a tee box next to a large pond, always a swampy tee area. You must account for sinking into the surface a little bit by choking down a half inch or so. I managed to raise up on the shot and completely topped the ball, popping it nearly straight into the air it landed 4 feet in front of me.

Something else popped, in my left elbow, I heard it and felt some discomfort but not much pain. Play the round out and honestly felt pretty good the next day. About the middle of the following week, I notice the entire outside of my elbow is black & blue and by the end of the week, an area from 2 inches above the elbow to 4 inches below my elbow, all on the lateral (outer) side is bruised.

I did not play last weekend but have hit some balls and everything feels ok. Just a very odd result from whatever it was that popped inside there.
 
Chris_PT said:
The RICE acronym is a great method to use because these injuries, Medial vs lateral epicondylitis, are simply over-use injuries. However, there are swing faults that can lead to an increased presence of these injuries, such as casting/scooping/Early release.

I would recommend the RICE principle during the acute stages (up to 48 hrs), then you can begin some gentle Range-of-Motion exercises, stretching and progress to light strengthening. If you are having symptoms are golfer's elbow (medial epicondylitis), a good stretch is starting with your palms up, then take your uninvolved arm/hand and gently bend your wrist and fingers down to the floor. If you are having symptoms of tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis), complete the same stretch, but simply turn your palms down as a starting position.

One last thing-Try Ice Popsicles. You can use the little Dixie Bathroom cups, fill them halfway up with water and place them in the freezer. Once frozen, you can remove one, tear the cup circumferentially where only a little bit of the frozen ice is hanging over the top and use that to massage the flexor/extensor mechanisms in the forearm (golfers vs tennis elbow).

This may have been covered recently, I just wanted to step in and help if I could. HTH
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that does help me, at least. During today's 9-hole round (about the 4th hole) I noticed some pain in my left arm which my playing partner said he thought was golfer's elbow. 30 minutes after the round the pain was gone with only some mild tenderness remaining. While playing though, it was definitely present. not so bad that I couldn't swing or anything, but I think it was causing me to let my left arm flex and my dispersion went through the roof. Would you recommend "RICE" for a few days and back to it, or laying off of it longer? I have a big MGA tournament this weekend so I've been practicing a lot. FWIW, I never had these issues until I changed my swing - I interpreted the pain as just my body getting used to the new, better swing mechanics
 
Something popped in your elbow and it turned black and blue and you didn't go to the Dr yet?. I've been playing with golfers elbow for almost 6-9 months now, if that happened to me I would be going straight to the emergency room. Most likley you popped the tendon, tore it, or something similar and require surgery I would think.
 
I have played DGS300's for years. Until last summer, when I got a new set with PX shafts. My elbow hurt me like never before! I did some research, didn't like the clubs that much more than my old set, and sold the "new" ones and went back to DGS300's. I'm looking into sensicore inserts, but for me the switch back has yielded a much better feeling elbow post-round or range session.
 
DaBuckBoys said:
Nope. Grip stength is fine, range of motion fine. Just a little sore, like a typical bruise.
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maybe a small blood vessel popping...
 
This ended my season last year but my soreness was the inner part of the elbow. I just let it rest and did some things to tweet my swing since I think I know what I was doing wrong. Good luck!
 
baldguy said:
that does help me, at least. During today's 9-hole round (about the 4th hole) I noticed some pain in my left arm which my playing partner said he thought was golfer's elbow. 30 minutes after the round the pain was gone with only some mild tenderness remaining. While playing though, it was definitely present. not so bad that I couldn't swing or anything, but I think it was causing me to let my left arm flex and my dispersion went through the roof. Would you recommend "RICE" for a few days and back to it, or laying off of it longer? I have a big MGA tournament this weekend so I've been practicing a lot. FWIW, I never had these issues until I changed my swing - I interpreted the pain as just my body getting used to the new, better swing mechanics
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This is a loaded question in my mind-Generally I would say to rest for more than just a couple of days. However, If I were in your same shoes, I would be practicing for the tournament. haha

Have you been working with a Instructor to make the swing changes? Some swing faults such as casting or scooping can lead to this overuse injury and is quite common. Have fun and good luck at the tournament! Go Low!
 
I get golfers elbow anytime I have x-100's in my irons. However it is the shaft I hit the best so I struggle through it. It is not bad with one or two rounds but if I get three rounds in a row it takes its toll on my elbow. I am thinking of grabbing the Hyper Ice utility wrap to see if that helps. I was really impressed with the shoulder wrap that golfinff had in hilton head.
 
Elbow pain.

Elbow pain.

Any advice on dealing with elbow pain?

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I use KT tape when i play to deal with tennis elbow (outside of elbow). Works like a champ. i will also use it during the week periodically if my elbow bothers me.
 
It is boring but rest and ice.
 
Are you hitting off mats? I get that pain when mats are my only option. Ice and anti-inflams for a week works for me.
 
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