Aching Elbows

December started off with a bang with Dr. Armstrong'€™s answer to Bruce Jones question about should he put off back surgery since using the PPGS swing his pain was diminishing. There were many blogs lending support, advice from many who had back surgeries, and many comments about other options for care and recovery. The following comment and question caught my eye because it sparked a few other comments on the subject of sore elbows.

Jim Wile says:
Don,
I occasionally read posts by people complaining of either golfer'€™s elbow or tennis elbow. I am currently suffering from tennis elbow in both arms. I think I may have been overdoing the firm grip pressure that you recommend (3 on a scale of 1-5). Maybe I'€™ve been closer to 4 or 5.

What do you recommend for people trying to follow the PPGS who have either of these conditions?

Surge says:
Jim, as I told Bruce concerning his question to me about cancelling his back surgery, I am the Swing Surgeon and not the Orthopedic Surgeon. In that light, I will address your question only as the Swing Surgeon and as a golfer that occasionally gets aching or sore elbows.

Over 50 years of playing golf, I have found the #1 cause for my elbows to begin to hurt is hitting too many drivers on the practice range. I could hit a hundred 3 woods with no problem. Hit more than around 20 drivers in a row and the inside of my left elbow always started aching. I guess that extra 1 inch length and added club head speed produces enough extra stress to cause my elbow to hurt. So, for all these years I never push the envelope on hitting too many drivers on the range. And being a real good driver of the ball, I have not needed to over practice.

When the elbow begins to throb and ache, the first thing I do is take a couple of 200mg Ibuprofen tablets. Next, I ice the elbow down as this helps reduce swelling. Then, I get out and put on my copper bracelet that also has magnets in it. If the ache or pain persists for a few days, I will then alternate ice and heat. Naturally, if the ache or pain persists, I may even have to reduce or even stop playing for a few days and only practice putting.

Looking at other and more likely causes of elbow pain starts with the grip. Squeezing too tight can be a cause. When we squeeze our hands on the club we should squeeze upward like we do when shaking hands. I really do not see many players squeezing too tightly. What I do see and I believe is the real and major cause of elbow pain is setting the forward arm too straight. I teach that the forward arm (left for right handers and right for lefties) is supposed to be RELATIVELY straight. That means there should be a little flex in the elbow.

The problem happens when the player overextends the lead arm causing the elbow to arch upward and HYPER extends the elbow. This can really get to extremes if enough grip tightness causes the bicep and shoulder to also arch upward. This basically has the arm and shoulder in lock down. The arched arm is now in a position that will not allow it to naturally rotate in the takeaway thumbs up into the catcher'€™s mitt. The club will likely be pushed away low, with the forward shoulder pulled downward into a reverse tilt.

The main swing problem turning on the elbow pain is releasing or throwing the club at the ball too soon. The elbow '€œhyper-extends,'€ locking down, and the club head passes the hands, getting to the ball before the hands. This compounds the problem, adding to potential injury in that one tends to hit or stick the club into the ground before ball impact. The '€œChunky Monkey,'€ as I call it, really gives the arms a jolt that is definitely not good for the elbow and wrists.

One last important point is that if you keep having elbow or wrist problems, you need to see your primary care physician for a check-up. He or she can check to see that you do not have some strained or torn muscles, tendons or ligaments, arthritis or tendinitis.

Some other things that may help keep elbow ache and pain down, especially if arthritis is an issue and you want to not have to keep taking ibuprofen or other pills to help reduce inflammation or swelling long term, is to wear some of the ION bracelets out on the market.

At our recent golf school, I was wearing an ion wrist band on each wrist. At dinner one night one of he guys asked me about them, as to what they were and do they help. I felt they really helped me. I went on to add that it may be truly physiological help or just voodoo or hocus pocus and in my head. My wife, Susan, an RN, also wears an ion bracelet for her knee pain. We both feel better with physically less ache and pain. I told the student that whether it was actually reducing pain or was just hocus pocus and in happening only mentally in our head, it doesn'€™t matter. Whatever it may be, I am sure — as my wife is too — that we feel better both physically with less ache and pain, and mentally. Either way, this is good for our overall well being.

The key and main point here is that you are not putting any drugs into your body. You are just wearing the ion wrist bands. The copper bracelet is putting copper into your body. It'€™s a physiological fact we need copper and too little is not good. Both wrist bands are good non- drug alternatives that may help reduce or even eliminate your aches and pains, not only in your elbows but elsewhere in your body. Wearing these wrists bands is very common on the PGA Tour.

So, wearing the ion and/or copper bracelets is a good alternative to taking medicine and surely is worth trying, as they are inexpensive. And if they work for you and can reduce your taking drugs, even ibuprofen, you are ahead. I will discuss more about ion bracelets in tomorrow'€™s article. I will list the main brands found out on the PGA Tour and worn by the players and list their web sites so you can check them out and even purchase them if you want to give them a try.

The Surge!