Sore Ribs after Playing - Why?

[Don223]

So I want to the driving range and hit 100 balls the night before I played 18 holes of golf.

For the last 15 or 20 shots at the range I was working on hitting my drives harder - much harder then I normally hit.

That night I had some pain in my rib cage, maybe 2 inches below my right nipple. I took ibuprofen that night and the next morning before playing the 18 holes.

From the 10th hole onward, my rib pain got steadily worse and wrapped around my right side into my back.

Two days later and it's feeling 30% better but I'll probably have to rest it for a week before I can play again.

So is this muscle strain? Or is there some cartilage in there that got damaged?

Why the right side? I'm right handed so I thought the left side would be more likely to get hurt.

I golfed in my 20's and never worried about stretching or warming up or over swinging...but I'm 40 now and learning the hard way

[WUTiger]

So I want to the driving range and hit 100 balls the night before I played 18 holes of golf. ...

Where to start?

It's early in the season, you live in Wisconsin, and probably haven't played much lately. Then, 100 balls and 18 holes. Too much too soon is one problem. Also, flexibility. Think of it as a general body condition. Work on it all the time, even on days you don't play, and on days when you don't have a vigorous gym workout. Next, your warmups. There's lots of info on pre-round warm-ups. When you play, start with chipping and putting, and then do some light stretching, etc.

[ks8829]

Your body is telling you that you need to exercise daily to keep fit and flexible, especially if you are going to hit lots of balls and play golf.

[alisdair]

It's almost definitely an intercostal tear. These tiny muscles between your ribs are put under a lot of strain when you swing the club, and it's easily done, especially if you practice too hard. I had this injury last year in August, and only managed two more rounds between then and November (both in pain).

No golf until your rib feels 100%, or you might have this injury all season. Avoid ibuprofen if you can cope with the pain, as it slows healing. There are some stretches you can do which will help. Ice the area if it feels inflamed, or heat it if it aches. Go to a sports physiotherapist if you can, or a doctor, but the doctor is going to say "rest it for 6 weeks".

Good luck!

[saevel25]

Yep, probably pulled or toar something. Time to put the clubs up for a while. This will give you a good time to practice your putting.

[crayputter]

So I want to the driving range and hit 100 balls the night before I played 18 holes of golf.

Take a deep breath.....you WILL feel the pain. The indicator of when you're ready to pick up a club again, is when you take that deep breath and feel no pain.

Believe me, so long there exist the slightest of pain, DO NOT play yet...you'll just make it worse ! And that will cause you to prolong your hiatus from golf Get some rest... Ray

[SkyDragon]

Yes, this discussion helps. Depending on severity, it takes a long time to heal. I laid off for a couple months, it was not completely healed, and played on it - and back to recovery mode now. Looks like minimum 3 to 6 months to heal in my case. I agree with other post that you need to wait for 100% no pain.

[NewStart14]

Check your form. I got the same thing. I was tilting on the backswing, then trying to swing around low left when it happened to me. Turn around your spine. My still hurts when I cough, but now that I'm swing correctly doesn't bother me when I swing. Around.

[MS256]

Just remember when the doctor says "You can't swing but you can putt" to say "Well that's great Doc because I couldn't even putt before I got hurt." ;-)

[dbarham]

My ribs started hurting right in the middle of rib cage on right side about 4 weeks ago it was slight at first bit now it hurts so bad I can't swing.

[Lihu]

My ribs started hurting right in the middle of rib cage on right side about 4 weeks ago it was slight at first bit now it hurts so bad I can't swing.

Intercostal muscles. You need to let them rest, and stretch them out.

[dbarham]

So it's safe to stretch them with the injury still hurting? Should I see a Dr for this or just sit out a month or so very painful!

[Lihu]

So it's safe to stretch them with the injury still hurting? Should I see a Dr for this or just sit out a month or so very painful!

A general rule of thumb is not to stretch if the pain is sharp. Turn only as far as you can without a sharp pain. If it's that painful you might have a strained muscle, but pulling or straining the muscle is pretty hard to do in that muscle group?

[dbarham]

It finally went away