As we get older, our bodies begin to lose their ability to heal quickly and sometimes nagging pain can lead to serious injury. Luckily, by using the Peak Performance Golf Swing, many Surgites don't have to worry about playing with pain because the swing is so body-friendly. But, that doesn't mean that the body won't begin to break down at some point as we reach our later years.
Dean Levine wrote in about pain he's been experiencing for the better part of a decade. He's wondering if there could be something about his swing that is keeping his body from fulling healing. That could be, but there's also a good chance that because the pain has been persistent for so long, he could have some structural damage that needs examined by a medical doctor.
Hi Don,
Dean Levine from Las Vegas here. For the last 10-12 years I've been suffering from right arm tennis elbow. I'm wondering is there something I'm doing wrong in the swing that keeps aggravating this condition.
Thanks,
Dean Levine
Before we talk about issues in Dean's swing that could be causing his pain, it's important to remember that if you've got any sort of pain that doesn't seem to go away with rest, then you should go see a doctor. You've got to start with the medical part and then work on the actual swing. That's what I did when I began experiencing some soreness in my left thumb.
Upon my visit to the doctor, it turned out that I have no cartilage in the fleshy part of my left thumb. This is what was causing the pain during my swing. The doctor gave me a few options such as a steroid injection to help alleviate the pain and stimulate the area. Another option was to have surgery to replace the cartilage, which had a minimum recovery time of 3-4 months. Neither one of those options sounded very appealing to me, so I decided that since it didn't seem to be getting any worse, I could play with the occasional pain.
I ended up realizing that my thumb position on the club had a lot to do with the pain, so I adjusted accordingly. I also noticed that the only club that seemed to aggravate my thumb was the driver. To this day, I can stand on a driving range and hit hundreds of irons and 3 woods without any pain. But, after about 15 drives, that pain will start up everytime. So, in my case, I went to the doctor and got a few options. It was safe for me to continue to play but I had to realize what caused the pain so that I could avoid it.
Sometimes, I also use a wristband that I've had for 25 years since my days as director of Instruction at Harbour Town Golf Links. I picked it up one year at The Heritage Classic. It holds my body heat in which lets the muscles stay relaxed. They're also more intact and not moving around a lot, which really reduces the chance of overworking and stressing the muscles.
As far as the actual swing causing injuries, I believe that hitting down is one of the worst things you can do in golf. We want shallow divots like bacon strips not porkchops. We want our arms to be extended at impact and swinging up. But, if you're hitting down on the ball, your arms are going to take a big shock if you're hitting into the ground. This will most certainly lead to some sort of pain or injury over time.
Ultimately, go see a doctor first. If you've already done that, do the things I discussed today with your swing. As we grow older, we're all going to have some small issues. The key is to find out if you're actually injured and if not, find out what's causing your discomfort. Get healthy and stay healthy!
Keep it vertical!
The Surge
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Comments
tennis elbow help
Having had tennis elbow (from tennis, not golf) I can give a few hints:
1) As Surge says make sure you aren't hitting the ground too hard. Try to shallow out your divots.
2) A brace or strap around your forearm muscle can help alleviate the pain while playing. I've played tennis with it and it works. Haven't tried golf with it.
3) There's a new exercise for tennis elbow: Get one of those "rubber rods" that are meant for bending exercises (Amazon sells them.) Hold one end in each hand and use your other arm to put a twist into it. Then let the twist out slowly with your bad arm (the one that hurts). You are stretching (and strengthening) the forearm muscle while it's under tension. I do it while watching TV.
BTW, they come in different colors for different resistances. Your twisting strength is less than your bending strength, so you need a "weaker" one for this exercise. I usually use the blue or green for twisting and the black for bending.
Thumb Surgery
Surge:
I recommend the needed thumb surgery. After years of pain I finally had the same procedure completed which you mention needing. They took a ligament from my forearm and used it to hold the bones of my thumb apart sufficiently to stop the bone on bone pain. I had the surgery the end of Jan of 2012 and was able to play golf by the beginning of the Ohio season two months later. It is now a little over a year later and I am pleased to say pain free. To any considering this type of corrective surgery, I can only say mine went excellently and I am glad I had it done.
Good to hear
Glad to hear you're still pain free, Terry.
trigger fingers
Terry, great news that your hand is doing well now. Maybe this will be your year on the links! I too can recommend in my case surgery if needed. i had trigger fingers - my right middle and my left ring finger, they would get stuck closed and were very painful at times. Had them fixed two years ago and am still happy with the results.
I have had shoulder issues more recently but they seem to be under control and okay for the moment. I am convinced that a balanced life style of stretching, exercise and an anti-inflammatory diet and supplementation has helped.
Off topic
Not on the subject of today's lesson or any recent lesson, I finally managed to get out to the local course for some practice. A nice, breezy north Texas day. About midway through my practicing, I decided to hit with my eyes closed. But I didn't get completely set up and then close my eyes. I found my line, set the club, found my stance, lifted the club to get it square in my hands, then closed my eyes before doing my accordion to the ball and didn't open them again until the ball was in the air. Amazingly, for 25 or 30 balls I had 4 thins and 2 fats and the rest very nice shots, straighter and longer in most cases than when I was hitting with my eyes open. I recommend it to anyone. It forces you to swing within yourself and maintain your body's position throughout.
neat
Robert, great to hear you got out and hit some balls. I might be better off doing many things blind, lol! I may try that one too.
Trust
It's an interesting drill, and honestly except for one where I could blame a gust of wind hitting me in my BUS, all of the bad shots were when I didn't trust myself and worried about completely mishitting the ball. As long as I set myself up first and then trusted my setup, the swing came off beautifully and I had no problem hitting the ball with my eyes closed. Goes to show that following Surge's setup method really does work.
brutal manslayer
OMG, did you all see what happened with Rory and Vilalges? Rory says he's mentally off and later blamed a wisdom tooth for his +7 wd today. Camilo +7 and off the map today. This game can be brutal!! I told my wife two months ago after his equipment change that it would be at least 6 months to a year until Rory plays well again. New girlfriend, $200,000,000 from Nike and his legs and swing changed too. His head is spinning.
Trust me he's got more than a tooth ache on his plate. Momentary nightmare.
Familiar
I remember when I was that age and "mentally off" and the more a girl was involved the more "mentally off" I was. LOL
A huge difference was that I never had more than a dollar in my pocket. Pretty sure I would rather be mentally off with his money. Ha ha!
True
Ya, I don't feel too bad for him. Todd Lewis on golf channel mentioned that it is likely more mental than dental. Wouldn't mind suffering with his 200 mil. I think I would figure something out. I likewise have no clue what that's like.
He'll get it figured out but I think it will take longer than many might guess.
Quitting
He should have stuck it out and finished his round but he's not the first one to quit during a bad round.
Most people come up with an injury as an excuse and at least limp around for a few minutes before deciding they can't continue.
He just did what Bobby Jones did in the 1921 British Open and walked off.
P.S. Bobby ended up doing pretty well after that. Ha ha!
good 9
Played a nice 9 holes this afternoon. Shot 38 which I am usually real happy with. Started out ordinary with a bogie on the normally easy par 4 first. Then had some fun on #two. A par five that requires a straight drive which I had today. Then I laid up with a well struck 5 iron to about 110 yards. Hit the pw to just off the back of the green. Chipped in from 25 feet. Birdie. Then on the short par 3 over water I hit my 53* wedge just over the back and 45 feet from the hole. Judged the right to left down hill chip well and it dropped for a 2 and a second birdie. Things even out over the next two holes with two bogies in a row. Parred the 160 yard par 3- 6th and then parred the 7th, a par 4 dogleg left and was only one over with two holes left. The hardest par 4 on that nine is #8 and I needed a longer than average drive and down the middle. Solid and down the middle about 260. Now I had about 195 left and nailed the 5 wood and was on the green in two. Yes! I am always thrilled to be on that green in reg. Missed the 35 foot putt but sunk the 5 footer for a par:) One hole left. Would I birdie the par 5 9th and have my first even par 36? Not today as I finished with a disappointing bogie.
I've birdied that hole normally one out of every 3 times I play there but a drive that yanked left in the trees and short made a bogie look good there today. So 38.
I'll take it with a smile knowing that a 36 is coming soon. Those two chip ins were especially rewarding. Putting was better and aside from #9 my drives were good and ball striking is coming along.
Tennis Elbow
I found a big difference in the jarring effect of mis hits etc. by switching to graphite shafts. They are much easier on joints.
yes
Mac, I did end up choosing graphite for my irons and was very pleased both with how they performed and less vibration and less jarring on the arms,elbows and shoulders. For those who prefer steel. the sensicore inserts also reduce vibration and there are a variety of grips that help such as the Enlow, Jumbo Max and many others.