What's truly causing my golf elbow?

[Gerardv]

I had severe right elbow pain since I was 14 years old. At the time, the doctors told me I basically "threw my arm out" by pitching too much. In a week, the velocity on my fastball dropped by 25%. After being blown off by doctors for about two months, I stopped complaining about it and never went back. The final straw was when my family doctor told my mother, "sometimes children will exaggerate pain to get attention, and there is nothing wrong with your son's arm." So, for the next 15 years, including time in the Army, I never complained again.

Then, when I was 29, I was playing a lot of golf and the pain became unbearable. The day after playing 18 holes I was sitting in a meeting at work and the pain got so bad I left the office and went straight to the local Urgent Care. Luckily, I got a doc who listened and was determined to find out why my arm hurt for 15 years.
One MRI led to another and he was just about to diagnose me with severe tendinitis when I got a strange tremor in my right arm/hand. That led him to MRI my neck where a huge non-cancerous tumor was found.

It was growing directly on my spinal cord and had damaged the nerve roots feeding my right arm/shoulder and hand. That discovery led to a spinal cord surgery and fixation from C-6 through T-1 plus finding another tumor on the brachial plexus which is a bundle of nerves that connects the spinal cord with the right arm/hand and shoulder.
So, I had another major surgery with the risk of paralysis two years after the spinal cord surgery.

My explanation is a long-winded way for me to say if you question what the docs are telling you, get another opinion. I won’t even get into the myriad of problems I had after the correct diagnosis. If what they say doesn’t seem right, keep asking questions until you’re satisfied, even if they get up and start walking for the door, make them stay.
The part of my story after being diagnosed was a perfect example of how doctors shouldn’t act as I was given the run around, passed false information, over medicated and basically left to rot medically because my condition is rare and resistant to normal medical processes.

They have an obligation to make sure you fully understand the diagnosis, next steps and prognosis.
Don’t let the docs slide on that point.

Most likely, your situation won’t end up like mine. But, there is always the chance something so small like elbow pain will lead to the discovery of something much bigger. Such an outcome is unlikely.

But in my case, 100% of the time elbow pain led to a life altering medical problem. 

[YajR]

holy cow. well i hope it's not a tumor. tha'ts a pretty extreme story there.

[Gerardv]

The only reason I tell it is to make people take chronic pain seriously. Too many of us blow it off and it can lead to serious problems. I fully understand my case is exteme.

[Gilles]

Had some sore left elbow problems too (inside of the arm in between triceps and the articulation).

Went to see my pro. My left arm was all tense and extended to the max even before beginning the takeaway. Told me to relax my left elbow and turning it inwards a bit (just the elbow), take the tension out of my left arm, so it has enough flex to absorb the shock of hitting the ground.

No more elbow pains since...

[squaddie]

...The final straw was when my family doctor told my mother, "sometimes children will exaggerate pain to get attention, and there is nothing wrong with your son's arm." ...

Wow, that's a powerful story. I hope you put the tumor on ice and had it sent to that family doctor with a little note, "Some Doctor you are, see what you overlooked when I was 14."?

[Gerardv]

Wow, that's a powerful story. I hope you put the tumor on ice and had it sent to that family doctor with a little note, "Some Doctor you are, see what you overlooked when I was 14."?

No piece of the tumor, but a nasty note.

[JtotheD]

106 mph with your irons!!....good lord, I'm suprised ALL you have is a sore elbow. Unless you have a superb swing and are in top notch physical shape, IMO that is way too fast. I hit my 7iron 170-175 and swing it at like 80-85 MPH, if I swung as hard as you I would've ruptured some vertebrae or something.

106 sounds like a good swing for your driver, BUT you don't (or shouldn't) contact the ground with it. Unless your 106 is coming from incredible lag, my recommendation is to get some lessons, slow down your swing and focus on solid contact.

[brgolf]

Tennis

[YajR]

106 mph with your irons!!....good lord, I'm suprised ALL you have is a sore elbow. Unless you have a superb swing and are in top notch physical shape, IMO that is way too fast. I hit my 7iron 170-175 and swing it at like 80-85 MPH, if I swung as hard as you I would've ruptured some vertebrae or something.

I don't think it's that fast. Don't the pros swing at 120+? I am working on changing my swing as the pro instructed. Your 7 goes 170? I can only get it 150-155 at most. I dont know if it's me or if it's the hand-me-down TechEdge set that someone gave me 10 years ago. Irons don't make that much of a difference in my distance, does it?

We'll see how this new swing works out. Is that what everyone does? HAve a slower iron stroke as compared to the driver?

[Grndslmhttr3]

holy cow. well i hope it's not a tumor. tha'ts a pretty extreme story there.

[Gerardv]

See now, that's just funny right there. All though the guys where I used to work made just about every brain tumor joke imaginable. So, you'll have to do a little better!!!

I just hope we get the elbow problem fixed because it messes up everything in a golf game and it's frustrating if a doctor can't diagnose it.