What's truly causing my golf elbow?

[YajR]

I looked as far as 8 pages back and didn't see a topic like this, so I"m posting here. Forgiv me if I missed one, as i have no intention of spamming the board.

I have been having golf elbow for abut a year now. It's not that severe, as I dont feel it when I play. But 2 days after playing, it comes and stays for about a week. Worst case ever was 2 weeks.

Is it because i'm whacking the ground too much or is it the amount of force I'm using in my swing? I swing at about 106 with my irons, and i just bought a Superquad driver with a stiff flex 65. i'm gettng this because i was using the big bertha war bird for about a year now, and hit really hard with it.

i noticed the only time i didn't get any pain after golf was a week when i used my friend's R7 with a regular flex. i hit it well that day. and that day only.

Could the speed of my swing have any to do with it or is the cause of my golf elbow be because of the impact my irons are getting on the ground?

Before yesterday, I always assumed the pain came because of the way I was driving. See this has got me thinking if I should change my drive swing to accomodate a regular flex (it's going to be EXTREMELY difficult) or stick with a stiff and be careful with the irons. See.... I'm assuming the pain is coming from how hard I swing the driver.

Am I on the right course here, or is it misguided? Btw, do those fore arm bands you get at walgreens good for helping with these pains?

[divottool]

I deal with the same issue! Make sure that you don't have a death grip on the club......grip pressure.

I always ice the elbow after playing, and it seems to help a lot.

The bands do work to some extent...especially while playing.

[pittpanther]

The answer you're looking for is not going to be that simple.

No one can tell you that your golfer's elbow problem is because of your driver - millions of others use that driver with no problem. Just like millions of others have a swing speed as high (or higher) than yours. And as for hitting the ground - well, taking a divot is the preferred method for golfers, so that in and of itself doesn't seem like the answer.

I suffered a little from this as well, when I first began to learn. I did a lot of google searches (look for "medial epicondylitis"). 99% of the articles don't mention anything about how it's caused - they just say "stop playing and use ice until it goes away." Not very helpful...

I have not had an issue in a year or more, and to be honest, I think the root cause is a swing fault. I did say that 99% of the articles were not helpful. However, a very few articles did bother to say "See a golf pro to figure out the problem in your swing mechanics." That is my recommendation. Tell a pro about your problem - it won't be the first time he has heard about it.

If you go to a doctor, he will just tell you to stop playing and use ice. That will help the pain, until the next time you play. You need to change something about your swing, so you can enjoy pain-free golf for the rest of your life.

[Grndslmhttr3]

Do you play any racquet sports, especially tennis? I play tennis and have experienced very mild elbow sores. Any other sports that work your elbow the way tennis does can also lead to this. The worst elbow pains for me come from baseball season; I have never experienced elbow pains solely from golf. I doubt your swing speed is a factor (but what do I know); I swing pretty hard myself (though I do not know the exact speed).

[inthecup]

No offense but your swing speed seems high. Unless you are deadly with your irons you should slow it down. I am by nature a fast/hard swinger. I have found that a smooth swing that does not feel like I am swinging hard goes further and more accurately then a "hard" swing. It is also much easier on the body.

I noticed that my swing looked like a lot of work compared to the low handicappers. A low handicap swing looks effortless. Is your swing effortless? Ignore the Tiger Woods swing think Ernie Els. More body less arms.

Good luck Bill

[deronsizemore]

Don't know what's causing it, but might have a look here to start getting rid of it:

http://thera-band.com/store/products.php?ProductID=20

[YajR]

Yea the doctors are really unhelpful to me on this matter. I'd hate to have to take motrin everyday for the rest of my life if i want to play golf every weekend.... and not playing for 2 weeks is just plain unacceptable!

I don't play any other sport except this, so I suppose you're right about it being a swing fault. This is bad. I just figured out how to keep my swing relatively consistent, and now I have to go change it again.

Bah! I guess it's better than snapping the tendon and losing my ability t play, but damn.... starting from ground Zero?

Deron:
what's that band supposed to do for me, deron? It looks like a fore arms strengthening tool. Is that what it is? Will it help with my pains?

[pittpanther]

I don't play any other sport except this, so I suppose you're right about it being a swing fault. This is bad. I just figured out how to keep my swing relatively consistent, and now I have to go change it again.

Well, don't be too depressed. I wouldn't imagine you need to completely restructure your swing. It could be something simple, such as "You have a flyaway right elbow - chicken wing." Or "You're casting the club towards the ball, instead of swinging freely and releasing the club head."

You right-handed or lefty? Which elbow hurts?

[YajR]

Oh! good question. I'm a rightie... My left elbow is the one that hurts, right above the elbow and below the triceps.

I do have a flyaway right elbow btw. I swing from the out to the inside. I've learnt to control the slicing (mostly), but it's definitely an outside in swing. And I have a trigger when i take my back-swing. If that makes sense.

[deronsizemore]

Deron:

I'm sure it does strengthen your forearms a little but the exercise has supposedly been effective in treating tendinitis of the elbow. Here's a short article outlining the study:

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/b/20...elbow-pain.htm If all else fails, you could stop playing golf for a while as most tendinitis is caused from overuse.

[YajR]

Not playing for a while is just unacceptable! :)
Have you tried that flexbar thing yourself?

[bunkerputt]

Not playing for a while is just unacceptable! :)

I recommend this too. It's really good to take 2 weeks off every now and then and just stick to your exercise routine. I think the reason you do so much better when you start up again is that your mind has had time to think about what it is supposed to do in the golf swing. It's nearly impossible to make a correct move if your mind can't conceive of it properly. I think way too much effort is spent on the physical aspects of golf, especially for beginners.

[Grndslmhttr3]

Don't forget to stretch before every round, as you're more likely to pull something if you don't. You'll feel more loose and flexible too, and your swing will probably feel more natural.

[nlowplacez]

get a girlfriend. cured mine

[Grndslmhttr3]

get a girlfriend. cured mine

I didn't want to be the one to reference that, but that made me lol.

[YajR]

get a girlfriend. cured mine

I doubt it. Wrong elbow hahaha

[hamletsdead]

That's a question that will get you 1,000 different answers. I had a wierd case of golfer's elbow below my elbow for about 6 months, which started after about a month of pounding balls off mats at this indoor range. Swing + hit mat as if taking a divot = get shock up forearm from concrete under mat = delayed onset elbow pain. Took me about another month to figure out that's what the problem was, and then I quit going there and wore a pressure band for a month everywhere. Looked dorky, but helped. And I had a chiropracter manipulate my elbow, then iced it, then had a sadistic massuese dig her thumb into the tender spot until I pretty much passed out, and then ultimately I stopped playing for two weeks and -- miraculously -- it just went away. I started playing again in July and have been playing 4xweek and it hasn't come back, so the whole "it's an overuse issue" is pure bunkum IMO. But, as I said, ask 1,000 doctors and get 1,000 answers. Angel Cabrera swings 121 MPH and doesn't have a problem, so I doubt you can definitively say your 106 SS is really the root cause of your problem. Everything I've read says stretch it out, ice it, put pressure on it, and take a breather. If that doesn't work, just take a ton of Aleve and keep golfing through the pain.

[YajR]

delayed onset elbow pain. so that's what it's called. Good to be able to name it.

Well, I got pissed the other day since i had to take of a week, and i decided to go see a pro whom i'd bought lessons with 6 months ago but just enver did go see. SO he put me on the camera and I could see where the pain was coming from. Man... i have an F'ed up swing.

I always come from the outside in, and my grip is twisted too much to the left, so when i came in contact, my right hand comes so hard down and forces my left to straighten out. Then I start leading with follow through with the left elbow. I guess I'm crushing my own elbow with my swing.

So now i'm working on an inside out swing. Feels weird not tht have club control in my fore arms anymore, but no pain on every swing does feel pretty good. Feels much more solid too, for some reason.