Pain / Injury Management in golf

Dear fellow golfers, will just like to seek opinions from u.

I just had MRI scan on left shoulder, results summary : -
mild supraspinatus and bicep tendinosis
Osteoarthritis in AC joint. Lateral sloping of acromion.

Orthopedic said it's basically overuse of joints, probably thru golf. Feeling very suay and depressed, how can average weekend golfer like me overuse my joints more than golf pros. Haiz... anyway he suggested to get operation, or thru physio and medication to heal. In the meantime, he advise to take acorxia if I had a game. Ortho also commented that eventually may still need to do op when become worse.

My concern is, is it better to just lay off golf, maybe go for the operation and return to playing upon full recovery? Or take acorxia whenever I need to play, and in the meantime do rehab work on my shoulders.

anyone has similar problem

I understand how you feel. However the body is more important than golf. It would be advisible to get your body in tip top condition first. Therefore it is recommended that you stop golf temporary until your body is full repaired.

An adequate rest will allow you to advance further.

Take a good rest.. don't give up yet . Go for light exercise, don't force yourself into healing, let nature take it course...

hahah mri... just curious how much did it cost?

Am waiting for mine at changi sports hospital.

Take care man

Wah sound serious....is it painful all the time or only after golf?

How long have u golf? How often u play? Hit balls a lot at the range?

Wondering if this is common for golfers

Hi matoonia, can you tell us whats your symptom? I have this shoulder pain for quite a long time, went to the therapist but still didnt go away? Is the pain at the top part or your shoulder, inside the joints?

My pain has been around since 1 year ago, if i rem correctly. It's not very sharp pain, feels like impingement of the shoulder cannot fully extend.

At first I thought nothing of it, and continued my games. maybe every 2 months go course, every week go range 1 time. Not very often, partly also due to the pain. And every time after i play, visit TCM or go for massage.

I find myself very frustrated whenever i play, when you cannot fully execute the swing, and subconsciously you worry about the shoulder, and make many compensations to the swing. Sometimes when it's not too bad, can swing normally, but usually after a few initial swings, start to make swing changes again and that's where keep on having bad swings, and then get frustrated and make worse swings.

Just had my annual medical checkup done, so i asked to refer to specialist. I got the MRI, so now thinking of whether should I just stop, or take painkillers and play thru the pain barrier. Or even go for the Operation since the ortho was saying that it will just be a matter of time to do the corrective surgery.

Haiz.... actually if i had never done the MRI will not feel so depressed. Ignorance is bliss. But when you know what's wrong, also cannot act blur and ignore.

Ok Chipping in a bit here.

These very likely can be considered accidents, so insurance may cover the mri etc.

Cant understand the doctors diagnosis.

So where's the injury? Shoulder? Knee?

Looked at your post again.

It looks like overuse, so probably need a month or two off.

Maybe 2 weeks before the inflammation goes away.

Injuries are pretty depressing for sure...

But maybe you can practice putting and Chipping more?

By the end of the recovery you might be so good around the greens, you'll have to give your buddies strokes.

Although must caution. Time away from game Normally ends up as equipment upgrade time.

Hope your get better soon.

mrkatsucurry wrote:

But maybe you can practice putting and Chipping more?

By the end of the recovery you might be so good around the greens, you'll have to give your buddies strokes.

+10

matoonia wrote:

My pain has been around since 1 year ago, if i rem correctly. It's not very sharp pain, feels like impingement of the shoulder cannot fully extend.

At first I thought nothing of it, and continued my games. maybe every 2 months go course, every week go range 1 time. Not very often, partly also due to the pain. And every time after i play, visit TCM or go for massage.

I find myself very frustrated whenever i play, when you cannot fully execute the swing, and subconsciously you worry about the shoulder, and make many compensations to the swing. Sometimes when it's not too bad, can swing normally, but usually after a few initial swings, start to make swing changes again and that's where keep on having bad swings, and then get frustrated and make worse swings.

Just had my annual medical checkup done, so i asked to refer to specialist. I got the MRI, so now thinking of whether should I just stop, or take painkillers and play thru the pain barrier. Or even go for the Operation since the ortho was saying that it will just be a matter of time to do the corrective surgery.

Haiz.... actually if i had never done the MRI will not feel so depressed. Ignorance is bliss. But when you know what's wrong, also cannot act blur and ignore.

Yes, its can be pretty frustrating...esp during a game when u need to compensate. Take care bro... Wish u a good recovery..

Can I ask a question? Have you been to see a Pro to make sure your swing is ok, You should not be in pain playing so infrequently.

The golf swing like any athletic movement, done right will not cause pain...

matoonia wrote:

...how can average weekend golfer like me overuse my joints more than golf pros...

It's been said many times before, but as this thread shows, it perhaps bears repeating.

A golf swing, done correctly, should not cause any pain. Which is why an average weekend golfer can pick up more injuries than professionals who practice and play far more often and with obviously better form.

matoonia wrote:

My concern is, is it better to just lay off golf, maybe go for the operation and return to playing upon full recovery? Or take acorxia whenever I need to play, and in the meantime do rehab work on my shoulders.

anyone has similar problem

Seems reasonable to assume that playing the same way that caused the injury in the first place means the injury will likely reoccur.

To break the pattern, how about working on the swing so that it does not put undue stress on the body. It's a good idea to see a coach for this purpose. But probably best to do this only after the body has healed properly.

Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery.

shorthitter wrote:

Can I ask a question? Have you been to see a Pro to make sure your swing is ok, You should not be in pain playing so infrequently.

The golf swing like any athletic movement, done right will not cause pain...

Pro shorthitter beat me to it.

Great minds think alike Lee

Or as my Mum would say... "2 fools make the same mistake" you decide haha....

Thks to all the kind advice here. Yeah, it may have been my poor swing that caused this to begin with. After all, never had these problems before I pick up the sport years ago.

Am going to do rehab for now, hopefully no need to go for surgery. Regardless, will probably see my coach again when i want to get back into the game.

Bro matoonia,

Have you considered Chinese pang kun? It's deep massage of the veins around our muscles(shoulders and back).

It used to be I had pain on my knees and ankles. After a few sessions, I can walk pain free and with force.

matoonia,
I feel your pain. I was diagnosed with a slip disc about 2 years ago. It was a blow to me. The doctor advised me to go under the knife repeatedly but I was adamant that this was not necessary. I subsequently seek a second opinion and was informed that I can continue to live normally but would need to take certain precaution and manage the pain properly.

I would just want to share that there is probably a community of support you can tap on here and seek views and encouragement. I urge you to stay patient in your recovery.

I had to put my clubs away for 1 year. (Yes, I did not hit a ball for one year). In that one year, I went on intensive physio for 5 months. I started a swimming regime of going to the pool 3 times a week (which I still continue till today even swimming is not cup of tea) to strengthen my core back muscles.

I strongly recommend stretching and if possible build that into your daily routine. For example, after sitting at my desk for up to 2 hours, I will take about 5 mins to stretch. It helps. I was able to go back to the game after one year and I slowly ease myself back into the game. I.e. hitting half wedge shots, putting before progressing to the irons and woods. I finally played 4 holes after laying off for 13 months.

These days, I also cannot over-emphasise on the need to do stretching before your tee off. Just devote about 10 mins of stretching before your tee time. I strongly urge you to stretch and not “quick twist and turn rotation reps”. What Bogeyman72 said is absolutely right on the importance of stretching, so what if people stares at you when you stretch. (Hey Bro Bogeyman72, if ever we have chance to have a game together, I am sure we will have many more stares at us at the 1st tee)

I was on acorxia for a while, but it does not seem to have any effect on me. I also go for massage to ease the muscle tension when needed.

Happy to share more with you over PM. Here’s wishing you a speedy recovery.

Always good advice to warm up before you play regardless of your age

gunship wrote:

matoonia,
I feel your pain. I was diagnosed with a slip disc about 2 years ago. It was a blow to me. The doctor advised me to go under the knife repeatedly but I was adamant that this was not necessary. I subsequently seek a second opinion and was informed that I can continue to live normally but would need to take certain precaution and manage the pain properly.

I would just want to share that there is probably a community of support you can tap on here and seek views and encouragement. I urge you to stay patient in your recovery.

I had to put my clubs away for 1 year. (Yes, I did not hit a ball for one year). In that one year, I went on intensive physio for 5 months. I started a swimming regime of going to the pool 3 times a week (which I still continue till today even swimming is not cup of tea) to strengthen my core back muscles.

I strongly recommend stretching and if possible build that into your daily routine. For example, after sitting at my desk for up to 2 hours, I will take about 5 mins to stretch. It helps. I was able to go back to the game after one year and I slowly ease myself back into the game. I.e. hitting half wedge shots, putting before progressing to the irons and woods. I finally played 4 holes after laying off for 13 months.

These days, I also cannot over-emphasise on the need to do stretching before your tee off. Just devote about 10 mins of stretching before your tee time. I strongly urge you to stretch and not “quick twist and turn rotation reps”. What Bogeyman72 said is absolutely right on the importance of stretching, so what if people stares at you when you stretch. (Hey Bro Bogeyman72, if ever we have chance to have a game together, I am sure we will have many more stares at us at the 1st tee)

I was on acorxia for a while, but it does not seem to have any effect on me. I also go for massage to ease the muscle tension when needed.

Happy to share more with you over PM. Here’s wishing you a speedy recovery.

Thks Bro gunship for your advise. I've learn the lesson too, and hopefully i can be as patient as you and diligently do rehab work.

I have also been reading up more on rehab work. And yes, I do go for TCM and deep tissue massage. It really helps. For TCM I go to Siah Ah cheok.

gunship wrote:

... What Bogeyman72 said is absolutely right on the importance of stretching, so what if people stares at you when you stretch. ...

bogeyman72 wrote:

...Always many other golfers always give me the stares whenever I stretch to warm up... but I dun care, just want to make sure my ageing body can continue to enjoy this game for the longest time......
...

At first I thought it was just bogeyman72, a one-off thing. But now, gunship too.

Quick question... wondering why people stare at others who are simply stretching. Is this a cultural thing? Dun understand.

Maybe they wanna beo run light?

[/quote]

At first I thought it was just bogeyman72, a one-off thing. But now, gunship too.

Quick question... wondering why people stare at others who are simply stretching. Is this a cultural thing? Dun understand.[/quote]

I don't know. I would have imagine stretching was a very normal thing to do. To be fair, I don't really have a lot of stares, just some only. AND I do normal stretching and not the Jimenez type.

kamen wrote:

Maybe they wanna beo run light?

Ha ha ha... pity my 'light' not worth 'beoing'