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(edited)

First post.  Long story short my job is very physical (massage and facials) so the last time I had a stint of playing golf I had issues with arm and shoulder tensions and numbness. I used to compete in BJJ and MMA but had to stop when my spa career took off because I was getting to the point to where my shoulders and arms would flare up in practice. Basic things such as fighting for hand position and fighting for grips would take my forearms into a state of complete exhaustion. 

I really want to get back into golf but have a few questions on what's the best route I should take from a physical standpoint. The last stint I had with golf I had issues with shoulders be incredible sore the next day and if I took a good sized divot it would cause a jolt of pain from my hands all the way to my shoulders. I did private lessons, and the consistency of my swing was good but just got physically burnt out.   Just a few thoughts I wanted to throw out and see if any members on this forum had any input. 

- Currently 180lbs with a good amount of muscle. I've been debating on dropping down to a really lean 165lb (would be a combo of losing muscle and fat). Was wondering if dropping weight on focusing more on high reps low weight and ROM would be more ideal conditioning wise for arm and shoulder numbness? 

- How should I approach it from a getting back into the groove? Should I focus mostly on putting and chipping and gradually start adding small buckets on the range? I know this will be more person specific, but I didn't want to right off the bat start plinking 80-100 balls on the range and then be incredibly sore the next day. 

- My current set of clubs is either a 2014 or 2015 Callaway Steelhead XR iron set that's stiff flex. I've been told to sell these clubs and move to a graphite set. Any opinions on moving to a graphite set ? Does it really make a difference for those that do have arm and shoulder issues ? 

Edited by Turtle_Creek

Welcome to TST @Turtle_Creek.  We're glad you've joined.   I'm not an expert in the health industry but can tell you from my experience that taking a step away from repetitive motions will benefit you.   Please consult your physician or physical therapist for a better answer.   I'm sure others will be around in the next few hours to give you more detailed suggestions.

@Vinsk your thoughts?

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  • iacas changed the title to How to Limit Shoulder and Arm Numbness?
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I would speak with a sports medicine or physical therapy person about it. It could be you need to spend time training up other muscles to help support what you want to do, or you may need some sort of recovery system. 

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I echo everyone above about seeing a doctor.  I might also recommend you try and find a physio who is TPI certified to help you in the right direction. 

As for equipment I would highly recommend three things.  I have hand tremors, arthritis and cerebral palsy so shocks or jolts can wreck me for days.  Graphite shafts are king.  I also use sr flex because that way I don't need to swing as hard and it sends less shock on fat shots.  Finally get bigger grips, just be careful not to go too big or you won't be able to feel the clubface.  All the best to you.

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@Turtle_Creek. Hello. I’m a Family Medicine physician so this isn’t my specialty. There are a number of issues that could be going on with your shoulder/arms. You may have shoulder impingement syndrome, or arthritis affecting your shoulder joint, bicep femoris tear/strain. Many issues can be treated with proper PT but determining the source of your injury is paramount to proceed with the proper treatment. Obviously an orthopedic doc would be your best option for this. If there’s a delay with that, you could have your/a primary doctor order an MRI to determine the source of your pain.

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(edited)

Thanks for the replies. I think it might have made it sound worst then it really is. I'm physically active in the gym 4 days a week and have a physical job so I don't think there's any injuries it's just when I mix working my job with golf it causes fatigue quickly since the muscles I overuse for work (arms and shoulders) are ones I rely on a lot for my swing. 

For example during the covid shutdown I was at the range 5x a week with minimal issues since I wasn't doing my physical job and golfing. When golfing was my primary activity I was fine it's just an issue when I mix it with 25 hours of clients a week 

I didn't know if this was a case of "switch shafts and do a few of these golf specific stretches/warmups" or if this was a case of "you need to get see a sports specific doctor or PT". I won't have insurance till the end of the year so if the doctor or specialist route is the best one then it will be later in the year. 

 

 

Edited by Turtle_Creek

  On 3/7/2023 at 3:23 AM, Turtle_Creek said:

I didn't know if this was a case of "switch shafts and do a few of these golf specific stretches/warmups"

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FWIW I definitely have had improvement with the fatigue/pain issues after switching to graphite shafts. I use the Mitsubishi MMT 80g in one set and some Aerotechs in another. 

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Seems to me there are multiple things that need to be done consecutively.  One is lighter clubs, which means graphite, assuming vitamin M allows you to purchase a new set.  Secondly is some level of muscle building for your golf muscles.  Finally, getting a massage (yes, I know the irony here) on your shoulders and arms to help reduce fatigue and pain in those muscles.

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@Turtle_Creek, if I’m hearing you correctly, you have both chronic shoulder issues with new “shocks” from your hands radiating upward with harder impact, yes?

Most likely, the shoulder problems will be a mix of degenerative rotator cuff tendinopathy with some wear of the labrum. For acute flares, NSAIDs and or a judicious injection once in a blue moon is ok to quiet things down, but mainstay of no operative treatment is Rotator cuff & scapular stability exercises. 
 

While not super common, I’ve seen two cases of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome in the past month which you can research; this results in the more fatigue type symptoms when the should is in certain positions but I doubt this is your issue with golf since your not holding a position for any period of time during the swing.
 

The shocks can come from a multitude of things but if it’s starting in the hand and moving upward, I’d put my money on the carpal tunnel. Most likely you’re palming the grip so that the impact is directly pinging the median nerve. Palming the grip is common problem ☺️ and I’ve experienced this myself a time or two. I think working on your grip, stance, and swing mechanics to improve your position at impact and doing some low point control work would be helpful. 

If the pain, numbness, dysesthesias are radiating down from the neck into the arms/hands, mostly likely degenerative disc problem in the neck.  But like others have said, difficult to definitively diagnose via Internet forum description 😏 so getting an actual physical exam by someone who knows why they’re talking about (both orthopedic & your local teaching pro/swing coach) would be much more helpful. 

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  On 3/7/2023 at 3:23 AM, Turtle_Creek said:

I'm physically active in the gym 4 days a week and have a physical job so I don't think there's any injuries it's just when I mix working my job with golf it causes fatigue quickly since the muscles I overuse for work (arms and shoulders) are ones I rely on a lot for my swing. 

Expand  

Something else to consider, what does your sleep, nutrition, recovery, etc. look like? Are you consistently getting 8+ hours of sleep per night and consuming adequate amounts of calories and protein? Are you staying properly hydrated throughout the workday? Any drug or alcohol usage? Any sort of stretching, foam rolling, ice, heat, etc routine you follow?

Since you think it is more of a fatigue problem rather than an injury, I would make sure you are 100% dialed in on those things I mentioned above and then see how your body responds. If you still have excessive fatigue when you are managing all of that stuff properly then it might be time to see a doctor. Based on your profile it looks like you're fairly young too, 30 years old, right? On the surface without knowing a lot about your body it sounds like a physical job, weights 4x a week and driving range/round a couple times a week should be something that a healthy 30 year old should be able to recover sufficiently from.

If you wanted to continue to try and work your job, lift weights, and golf I would absolutely not recommend cutting another 15lbs. Cutting weight to get super lean when your likely not overweight to begin with is quite stressful on your body, ligaments, etc and would likely make problems worse.

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