Golf injury

Since I started playing golf, I've had this sharp pain on my left side a couple of inches below the armpit.. its a sharp pain that I experience when my arm is at certain angles or when I breath in deeply and occassionaly the pain migrates to the back of my lower left shoulder. Read that its relatively common among golfers though the remedies vary and its called the serratus anterior muscle. Anyone with similar pain before can share how you managed to get rid of the pain? Its been bothering me for 2+ weeks now and its always worse after the range (yes, I know I need to rest the muscle)  

Thanks!

I had a strained intercostal muscles last year. Its the muscles under the rib cage. I most likely got it by not stretching/warming up and swinging too hard. There is no treatment aside from rest (1 month++) and occasional electric stimulation. I would suggest to consult a sports physiotherapist if there's any rehab you can do to treat your condition or manage the pain. Good luck.

If there is a muscle tear or injuries to veins, it might take up to 3-4 months to heal completely.

i have the same injury 2 times

the muscle on the left back was swollen and i cannot even bend to clean my a** after doing big business

the first time,  i saw a doctor and he gave me some cream to make it better. 2 weeks no golf. 

the second time, i was down for 1 week and i used back the same cream

So warm up properly and try to stretch more

I tried acupuncture and he said my spinal alignment was off, did some 'adjustment' and cupping and it was a lot better though still painful but not as intense as before.. then didn't rest and played 9 holes and went to the range and now its back to square 1. Hurts when I cough or sneeze too

I had that a couple of times. Just took some time off the game, do lots of stretching and just simple dry swings at home. Did take too long for it to recover. Try to skip range if you can't stay away from the game entirely. I find that beating continuously on balls at the range really makes it worst and the swings gets kind of wonky as the body tries to "avoid" the pain. Not good in the long run.

Pain was pretty bad yesterday, even regular breathing.. went to see doc and got some muscle relaxants, so feel better. Going to see a physio later today, hope to recover quick so I can get back to golfing!

Gymrat76 wrote:

Pain was pretty bad yesterday, even regular breathing.. went to see doc and got some muscle relaxants, so feel better. Going to see a physio later today, hope to recover quick so I can get back to golfing!

have you talk to your coach on this? Maybe he'll tell you what u doing wrong?

enwee wrote:

Gymrat76 wrote:

Pain was pretty bad yesterday, even regular breathing.. went to see doc and got some muscle relaxants, so feel better. Going to see a physio later today, hope to recover quick so I can get back to golfing!

have you talk to your coach on this? Maybe he'll tell you what u doing wrong?

Folks, I am very fortunate to be able to golf quite often during the week.  Minimum 3 times per week.

Apart from fatigue muscles from the swing and walking, I do not experience any other forms of pain.

I personally know a range fanatic who hits at least 300 balls daily and he doesn't experience any forms of muscle pain.

The swing, if done correctly, is not an unnatural movement to the body.  

For those who are experiencing such symptoms, engaging a coach or, if you do already have one, ask for a professional opinion what you are doing wrong.  Once a more fundamentally sound swing is learned, I can assure you that you will be enjoying pain free games and range sessions.

2 reasons why we get injured golfing:
1. We try to perform a motion which our body doesn't allow due to inflexibility or lack of strength.
2. We repeatedly perform a motion that is faulty and unnatural.

Speak to your pro to ensure your body is capable of performing the motion he requires you to execute 

If you'd like to see a golf specific Physio, I can point you in the direction of one whom I work with.

If you'd like to know more about golf related injuries and exercises, do visit www.mytpi.com 

Cheers

Thanks everyone.

Physio did some electro-therapy thing and ultrasound followed by heat packs. No golf for 2 weeks. Taught me how to stretch properly before I start golfing too.

Will ask my coach about my injury during my lesson, but I suspect that since i'm new the injury could be from striking the ground, or using too much force and sometimes missing the ball :Dand over-stretching the muscle.

Gymrat76 wrote:

Thanks everyone.

Physio did some electro-therapy thing and ultrasound followed by heat packs. No golf for 2 weeks. Taught me how to stretch properly before I start golfing too.

Will ask my coach about my injury during my lesson, but I suspect that since i'm new the injury could be from striking the ground, or using too much force and sometimes missing the ball :Dand over-stretching the muscle.

Exactly.... You hit the ground too much. On the green, you'd be taking deep divots or duffing. It is impact injury.

You need to get it sorted first, then change the way you swing and hit.

Stretching helps in some ways.

jhan18 wrote:

2 reasons why we get injured golfing:
1. We try to perform a motion which our body doesn't allow due to inflexibility or lack of strength.
2. We repeatedly perform a motion that is faulty and unnatural.

Speak to your pro to ensure your body is capable of performing the motion he requires you to execute 

If you'd like to see a golf specific Physio, I can point you in the direction of one whom I work with.

If you'd like to know more about golf related injuries and exercises, do visit www.mytpi.com 

Cheers

hi jhan, can you recommend one or pm me your contact?
i have no serious injury, though i do have an old shoulder injury from weight training many years ago, which is also why my shoulder cant turn fully without feeling a stretch and sometimes discomfort. really refrain me from swinging optinumly. Will be good to see exercises to increase my flexibility. thanks.

After one physio session and a week without golf, the pain is barely noticeable. Think another couple of days should do it then can play 18 holes next week liao!

By the way, I did ask my pro and his assessment was that as a beginner, I was forcefully twisting my upper body into the swing (trying to get more distance) during the downswing. Have corrected that and hopefully it will not recur.