Oh Dear! Ive got Golf Elbow

Hi, just started playing golf and been practicing on the range like a mad rat. I think I have hit the mat one too many times for my elbows liking. I think i have got the dreaded golf elbow.

Whats the quickest way to recover from it. I have not hit the range for a week, last weeked just practiced chipping and putting...and iced my elbow when I am home....

how long does this usually take to recover and should I totally stop playing, ie even putting and chipping?

thanks

ice, rest, stretch, strengthen.

since it is only the beginning, the steps above should be good enough for your injury to recover

I had that too. Went SGH for specialist + Physo for 3mths and now it only 70% recovered.

The only way is totally STOP going range/green for at least 1 month.

Check with your PRO whether you have the correct swing anot.

Hope's above help.

Cheers

Hi Acemangill,

Nice to hear another golf lover plunging headfirst into the game. I am reminded of how I was in the beginning, where I practically lived at the range.

Sorry to hear about your elbow. Is it left elbow, or right elbow? Or both? It would help to show what's happening.

Rest is good as suggested by weesern above. Avoid aggravating it further until it has had a chance to heal. When I injured my wrist, it took about 1-2 months to heal, and in the meantime, I did only light work with a wrist wrap for support.

Elbow injury is sometimes (and quite often) a sign that the elbow was not on plane in the swing. That means, it is moving in a way it is not supposed to.

Hitting a mat too hard would tend to show up as wrist injuries. Does your wrist hurt too?

Do you have a coach? If you do, have him check your swing, especially what the elbow is doing. You might find the cause there. Correcting it would help prevent future elbow injuries.

Meanwhile, I'd suggest getting an elbow wrap to support it, especially if you want to do chipping and putting (as a positive, this is an excellent opportunity to work on your short game.) As we all understand, it's hard to stay away even if you're injured.

I had some elbow issues at the start too. But luckily, with my coach's help working on the swing, correcting the erroneous move automatically reduced stress on the elbow and the pain went away quickly. .

The moment you feel a pain in the wrist, or elbow, or ankle, etc, stop. And check what's happening to it during the swing. Check your posture, positions and alignments in the mirror if possible.

Wish you a speedy recovery.

dkk wrote:

I had that too. Went SGH for specialist + Physo for 3mths and now it only 70% recovered.

The only way is totally STOP going range/green for at least 1 month.

Check with your PRO whether you have the correct swing anot.

Hope's above help.

Cheers

Wow, that's painful to hear.

dkk is right, check your swing.

BTW, I forgot to ask one thing.

Acemangill, you mentioned hitting the mat too much, so I assume you picked up the injury using irons.

Have you checked the swing weight and shaft flex? Using a club that's too heavy and stiff for our swing may also contribute to injury.